The squire was summoned, and he came to them. Making his bow from horseback, he asked which of them was the Master of Santiago, for he had not recognised him; so they told him. Then he gave his commendations to everyone, as he had been ordered to do. When he relayed the count's reply, saying how on Monday, God willing, he would be there with all his men to do battle with him, he added some words of his own, saying, ‘Sir, I warrant that this is the desire of all, because you have caused such damage and harm in the border region which my lord the count has custody of, that it could not be recompensed even at a great price. You have left nothing for its inhabitants, for everything has been stolen except the sharp-pointed lances and poniards with which they will all come and seek you out in order to gain reparation.’

‘Let them all go to the Devil!’ said the master. ‘Well, sir’, said the squire, ‘you can be sure that, as they found out that you were here, they [also] came here first before you gave orders to go where they are. They did not come here to carry off oxen or cows, or other prisoners from this land, but simply in order to fight you. If everyone's distrust is worth anything, everyone told me to distrust you. Had it been the men's will, they would be here this very morning, all of them ready [to do battle]. But since my lord the count is not accustomed to journeying on a Sunday, still less to fighting, for that reason he has postponed this matter till Monday, as you shall see from this letter I bear.’

Then the Master of Santiago said to his Alcántara counterpart, and to the others present, ‘Sirs, excuse me for a moment. I shall speak briefly to this squire and see what is written.’

Then he went to one side with him. After reading the letter he said, ‘Squire, according to what you say, and what is written here, the count has a great complaint against me for making the sortie into Portugal. But in truth, if he knew how this matter was carried out and so contrary to my will, he would not blame me so much, nor would the lords with him.’