402 CONQUEST Of AFRICA AND SPAIN* 



These daring projects, however extravagant 

 they may appear, aclsnitt cd of easy execution, and 

 might perhaps have been realized, had not the 

 scheme, by some channel, been communicated in an 

 unfavourable light to the caliph, who was greatly 

 terrified at the risk his forces would incur in such 

 an enterprise, and despatched an envoy to recall 

 Musa, and in case of his refusal to bring the Moslems 

 back himself. The adventurous hero was engaged 

 in subduing the Galicians, and so intent was he on 

 this invasion, that he bribed the forbearance of the 

 messenger, by offering him half of his own share of 

 the spoils, this delay was followed by a harsher 

 and more peremptory summons. A second envoy 

 from Syria entered the camp of Musa at Lugo, and 

 arrested the bridle of his horse in presence of the 

 whole army. His own loyalty, or that of his troops, 

 suggested the duty of instant compliance. Leaving 

 his two governments in the hands of his two sons, 

 Abdallah and Abdolaziz, he set out for Damascus, to 

 answer in presence of the caliph, not only for dis- 

 obedience of orders, but for his proceedings in regard 

 lo Tarik, whose friends had conveyed to the royal 

 ear a true statement of the services and wrongs of 

 that distinguished chief. Musa and his injured rival 

 left Cairoan together, preceded by a vast booty, 

 which displayed in long triumph the spoils of Africa 

 and Spain. Four hundred of their nobles, with 

 golden coronets and girdles, attended his train ; be- 

 sides 30,000 female captives, selected for their birth 

 or their beauty. 



On reaching Egypt he was informed of the dan- 

 gerous illness of Walid, by a private message from 

 Soliman, the presumptive heir, who requested him 

 to halt, wishing to reserve for himself so splendid a 

 prize. Musa proceeded ; but on arriving at Damascus 

 he found an enemy on the throne. In his trial 

 before a partial tribu'nal, he was convicted of avarice 

 and falsehood, imd amerced for his rapacious exac- 



