After these few words, in which the count informed his men of his intent, he set off one day after eating a meal, with a view to spending the night in a place called Leça, which is a good league from Oporto. He took with him merely 150 mounted squires. There he was joined by all those of his armed men who had advanced on foot. While he was heading away from the town, the mule bearing his bed went out behind everyone else. Just as it was going out through a town gate known as the Olival Gate – the very gate by which the constable had left – the mule dropped down dead. All those who saw it took to be a remarkable incident and some kind of omen. A number of them took the news to the constable as he proceeded on his way and told him that for this very reason it was inadvisable to continue and that he should turn back in any case. The constable, however, poured scorn on any omen or vain imagining which might occur to some people and declared that he attached no importance to the matter. He gave orders for his bed to be transferred to another animal, and that they should follow on after him.

It is said, however, that on that same day it so happened that, near the very gate where the mule died, a man was possessed by the Devil, who uttered many things through him, including that he had killed the mule, thinking that by its death the constable would not proceed to where he was due to perform many noble deeds; he added that the constable had so much faith in himself that he did not turn back at all nor shrink from continuing on his way; but now he regretted what he had done, since he had gained nothing from it.

Having arrived at Leça, the count spent the night there and left again the next day. As he travelled through that area, there came over to him forty men-at-arms, all good squires, drawn from the places which had declared for Castile, Galicians as well as Portuguese, together with many foot soldiers.