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called Galverino, whose hands Don Garcia ordered to be cut off. He returned to his countrymen, and showing his bloody mutilated stumps, inflamed them with such fury against the Spaniards, that they all swore never to make peace with them, and to put to death any one who should have the baseness to propose such a measure. Even the very women, excited by a desire of revenge, offered to take arms and to fight by the side of their husbands, as they did in the subsequent battles. From hence originated the fable of the Chilian Amazons, placed by some authors in the southern districts of that country.

The victorious army penetrated into the province. of Arauco, constantly harassed by the flying camps of the Araucanians, who left them not a moment's rest. Don Garcia, when he arrived at Melipuru, put to the torture several of the natives whom his soldiers had taken, in order to obtain information of Caupolican, but notwithstanding the severity of their torments, none of them would ever discover the place of his retreat. The Araucanian general, on being informed of this barbarous conduct, sent word to him by a messenger, that he was but a short distance, and would come to meet him the following day. The Spaniards, who could not conceive the motive of the message, were alarmed, and passed the whole night under arms.

At day break Caupolican appeared with his army arranged in three lines. The Spanish cavalry charged with fury the first line, commanded by Caupolican in person, who gave orders to his pikemen to

sustain with levelled spears the attack of the horse, and the mace bearers with their heavy clubs to strike at their heads. The cavalry by this unexpected reception being thrown into confusion, the Auraucanian general, followed by his men, broke into the centre of the Spanish infantry with great slaughter, killing five enemies with his own hand. Tucapel, advancing in another quarter with his division, at the first attack broke his lance in the body of a Spaniard, and instantly drawing his sword, slew seven others. In these various encounters he received several severe wounds, but perceiving the valiant Rencu surrounded by a crowd of enemies, he fell with such fury upon them, that after killing a considerable number, he rescued his former rival, and conducted him safely out of danger.

Victory, for a long time undecided, was at length on the point of declaring for the Araucanians, when Don Garcia perceiving his men ready to give way, gave orders to a body of reserve, to attack the division of the enemy, commanded by Lincoyan and Ongolmo. This order, which was promptly executed, preserved the Spanish army from total ruin. This line of the Araucanians being broken, fell back upon their victorious countrymen, who were thrown into such confusion, that Caupolican after several ineffectual efforts, dispairing of being able to restore order, sounded a retreat, and yielded to his enemies a victory that he deemed secure. The Araucanian army would have been cut in pieces, had not Rencu, by posting himself in a neighbouring wood with a squadron of valiant youth, called thither the

attention of the victors, who pursued the fugitives with that deadly fury, that characterized the soldiers of that age. That chief, after having sustained the violence of their attack, for a time sufficient in his opinion to ensure the safety of his countrymen, retired with his companions by a secret path, scoffing at his enemies,

CHAPTER VI.

Don Garcia orders twelve Ulmenes to be hanged; He founds the city of Canete; Caupolican, attempting to surprise it, is defeated, and his army entirely dispersed.

THE Spanish general, before he quitted Melirupu, caused twelve Ulmenes whom he found among the prisoners, to be hung to the trees that surrounded the field of battle. Galvarino was also condem.. ned to the same punishment. This unfortunate youth, notwithstanding the loss of his hands, had accompanied the Araucanian army, and had never ceased during the battle to incite his countrymen to fight vigorously, showing his mutilated arms, while he attempted with his teeth and feet to do all the injury he could to his enemies. One of the Ulmenes, overcome with terror, petitioned for his life, but

Galvarino reproached him so severely for his cowardice, and inspired him with such contempt for death, that he refused the pardon which was granted him, and demanded to die the first, as an atonement for his weakness and the scandal he had brought upon the Araucanian name.

After this fruitless execution, Don Garcia proceeded to the province of Tucapel, and coming to the place where Valdivia had been defeated, he built there, in contempt of his conquerors, a city which he called Canete, from the titular appellation of his family. As this settlement was in the centre of the enemy's country, he thought proper to strengthen it with a good palisade, a ditch, a rampart, and a great number of cannon, and gave the command to Alonzo Reynoso, with a select garrison. After which, imagining that the Araucanians, who had been defeated in three successive battles, were no longer in a condition to oppose his conquering arms, he departed for Imperial, where he was received in triumph.

Soon after his arrival at Imperial, he sent from thence to the inhabitants of his new city a large convoy of provisions, under the escort of a large body of troops, who were attacked and routed in the narrow pass of Cayucupil by a body of Araucanians. But these having ill-timedly began to seize the baggage, gave the Spaniards an opportunity of escaping with little loss, and reaching the place of their destination. The citizens received them with the greatest demonstrations of joy, their assistance being much wanted in case Caupolican, as was reported, should

attack and endeavour to force them from that post. Nor were these merely idle rumours. That indefatigable general, whom misfortune seemed to inspire with greater courage, a few days afterwards made a furious assault upon the place, in which his valiant troops, with arms so far inferior to their enemies, supported a continual fire for five hours, now scaling the rampart, now pulling up or burning the palisades. But perceiving that valour alone could not avail him in this difficult enterprise, he resolved to suspend the attack, and seek some more certain means of attaining his end.

With this view he persuaded one of his officers, named Pran, who had the reputation of being very cunning and artful, to introduce himself into the garrison as a deserter, in order to find means to deliver it up. Pran accordingly obtained admission under that character, and conducted himself with the profoundest dissimulation. He soon formed a friendship with one of the Chilians who served under the Spaniards, called Andrew, and who appeared to him a proper instrument of his designs. One day, either artfully to sound him, or to flatter him, Andrew pretended to sympathize with his friend on the misfortunes of his country. Pran, who had as yet given no intimation of his design, seized with much readiness this occasion, and discovered to him the motive of his pretended desertion, earnestly entreating him to aid in the execution of his scheme; this was to introduce some Araucanian soldiers into the place, at the time when the Spaniards, wearied with their nightly

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