The king left that town, as we have said, a week having passed since their arrival, and the army made camp 2 leagues away, near a walled town called Matilla de Arzón. From there it moved on the next day, crossing the Ricobayo, a river that rises in Asturias, an area which belonged to Álvaro Pérez de Osorio. Along the banks of that river, upstream, there are many villages as far as Valencia de Don Juan. Martim Vasques da Cunha, his brother Gil Vasques, Rui Mendes de Vasconcelos, João Afonso Pimentel and others went to that area to raid, and came to a town called San Millán [de los Caballeros], near Valencia [de Don Juan] and Villaquejida, where there were many good men to defend it. The Castilians came out to skirmish, with the river between them; among them came Álvaro de Tordehumos, that famous man-at-arms who has been mentioned earlier. When he came forth with others, those on both sides entered the water. When the Portuguese attacked the Castilians, these could not withstand them, and turned to flee. Álvaro de Tordehumos was wounded there, so badly that he later died. The Portuguese returned to the camp with livestock and other things that they had found.

The next day the army departed and encamped in front of Roales. There were no men-at-arms there, only labourers both from the town and from the surrounding villages. Seeing that they could neither defend themselves nor get any other aid, it was agreed by negotiation that they should abandon the town, which was then plundered of its provisions and everything that was there.

While they were in that place, one day some men-at-arms went along to guard those who were going to fetch hay; as the king was riding along to give orders as to how they should be organised, his horse fell, bringing him down, and he broke a strap holding his vambrace, but they repaired it for him. The king was extremely vexed that such a thing should happen to him in the land of his enemies as he was going to wage war against them. At this point it began to be said – but it was not so – that the inhabitants of Valderas, another town belonging to Álvaro Pérez, were fleeing in fear, leaving it undefended.