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286
Royal
Commentaries.
BooK
VIL
CH AP.
XXII.
•
I
Of
the New Method and
Way
of
Fighting, contrived
by
an
Old
Indian
Captain.
T
HE
Spaniard1
being allarurned with the noife and fhouts of the
Indi'1n1,
fat..
lied forth
in
their bright and glittering Arms, with long Plumes on their
Helmers, and Feathers on the heads of their Horf
es ;
and feeing the many Divifi–
ons and Squadrons of the Enemy, they imagined that
they
were more able
to
break the fmaller Battalions, than if they were united into one body. So foon
as the
Indian
Captain
faw
the
Spaniard1
appear, he encouraged the
firft
quadron
co fight
with
them, exhorting them to doe their heft; not ((ud he) that
I
expetl:
you fhould overcome them, but that you !hould perform what you are able
in
favour and defence of your Countrey; and when you are worfied, and
can per–
form no more, that then you fave your felves by flight, taking care in your retreat,
that ou break not into the other bodies,
fo
as to diforder them, but that you
fly
behind
all
the reft, and there rally, and make up your body again ; the like advice
and order he gave
to
all the other quadron .
With
this
defign
and
refolutioa
the
I ndians
engaged ith the
Spaniarth,
with
whom having fought awhile,
and
performed what they were able
:,
being routed, they retired into the Rere of
the
Army, the fecond, third, fourth and fifth, were eafily broken, and routed
by
the
Spaniard.t,
but
yet not
ithout
fome lofs on the
Spanifh
fide both 0f Men arid
Horfe.
Thus as
the
firil: Squadrons were overthrown,
fiill
new referves came up,
who
all
fought
in
their orders one after the other.
In
the Rere of all was another
Cap–
tain, ho governed in the or erly rallying of the quadrons, which he caufed
co
eat, and drink, and repo[e themfelve ,
hiHl:
the others continued the fight, that
fo
they might be refrefhed, when their
turn
came
for
the next engagement.
The ·
Spaniard1
having already routed five Squadron of the Enemy, and feeing
fiill
rea
or twel e more before them comin_g on; and having fought three long hours,
yec
encouraging one the other, they affaulted the
fixth
quadron, which came
in re–
lief of rhe
fifch,
hich they overthrew,
a
al[o the fevemh, eighth, ninth
and
tenth Di ifion. But now having
fought
feven long hours w.ichout intermiffion,
both the Men and Horfes began to fail, not being able to charge with that mettle
and vjgour as they did
in
the beginning; "'hich the
l ndian1
obferving ould
noc
permit them one moment of repofe,
but flill
plied them with
new
and fre(h Squa-
ron , and after
all
the
Spaniards
faw
notwithil:anding ten Divifions
{till
to
be
fought\
ith · and though the
natural
force both of Man
and
Horfe began
now co
grow
tired, and faint ; yet they
Hill
roofed their invincible
f
pirits, not
to
fhew or
vidence any fymptoms or aepearances of faHure
to
the
Jndian,1:
Howfoever the
Indians
beginning fenftbly to find the decay of the
Spanifh
vigour and mettle,
and
that their force was not
fo
irnpecuou and ineftfiible
a
it wa
at firfr,
fiill
conti·
nued
to
bring
op
their quadr ns,
untill rn o a
lock in the afternoon; which
the
Governour
Pedro
de
Valdivia
obferving, and that there \Vere eight or nine Squadrons
ilill
to
be overcome; and chat when thofe vere
r
med, they
vvere alvvays ral–
lied,
and made up; vvhich
nevv
vvay
and
method
f
ighting having
vvell
con–
fidered ; and that it being novv late tovvards
the
Evening,
it
vva probable
the
Enemy \ ·ould afford them
a
little repofe in the
Night,
as they had given
chem
refpit
in
the Day ; he refolved to retreat before
their
Horfes were
wholly
f
pent,
and difabled f farther
fi
rvke : According
to
his ommand
hi
oaldiers retrea–
ted
to\
ards
a
narrow
pa~,
which if they could reach, being about
a
League
~md
a half
from the place'' here the ighr was, they imagined ch.emfelves fecure
fro1!1
any
attack
f
the Enemy;
for
that nvo
paniards
n
foot were able
to
defend
it
from
all
the
Army
of the
Indians.
H aving taken thi refolution, though lace, he
....
gave