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.rherefore they were more inclinable
to
believe, that in regard that Countrey is
like
Peru,
mountainous, and
ful!
of precipi~es and hollow pl<!ces, and fubjeét ro
Earthquakes, that the
Spaniards
w~re unadvi[edly fallen, and perifhed in fome un.
fiable, and falfe grounds'and cav~s, rathe11 than by the fo1:ce and courage of the'
Jndiam, ,
whomafter m:my years of experience, they concluded unable to deíl:roy
fuch a number of
Spaniard.1
in batee!. \Vhilíl: they of
Peru
remained in this doubt–
full bel_ief ofmatters, after
150
days,time a more particu,!ar and ,e1-rain relation carne
of the Death of
Va!divia,
and all his Souldim, -with all rhe eircumfiances of che
late battel, which the
lndians
fought with him : the which I íhall relace according
to
that acconnc which was given of it from
Chilí;
the which having in the
firft
. place fpecified the Infürreétion of the
lndians,
and the many iníolencies and ouc–
rages tbey had committed, proceeded
to
tell us; That when
Virldivia
carne to th~
place where thefe Rebel$
bf
.Ara11ca
were a{fembled, he found
r
3
or
14000
of
~hem in Anns ; which he fuddenly affaultiag with his Horfe,, did in many and
divers Skirtl,liíhe..s á1ways- beat them, and put chern
to
flighc
:o
fo
·chat the
Indi,¡;¡'YJs
.'¾eré
fo
cerrified 'vYith fear,, ?-nd,dread of the
fon
of the
Spt1tnifh
Horfe, that cbey
would nev~r advimrnre imo e~ open Plains ;· for thac ten
SpaniardI
were
ab.le(o
beat a thouíand
Jr¡dians,
but kept them[elves lurking in cheWoods and Mmmtains,
~here the
Spápifo.
Hor[e
could not come at l'hem; and frorn ch.ence they oftei;i
fa!.
lied
aut,
doing ali the fpoilihand mifchiefs d1ijt they were a-ble to 1he
S¡anitwds,
from whorn they would receive oo Arrides or Propofals of Accommodation) be–
ing more willing to dye, than obey, and ferve chem longer.
-Thus che War was continued and carried on-for many days, during which
·lime the report was fpread in all pares o'f rhe Countrey of ch~
Araucans
;
and co–
tning to the Ears ofan old Captain of cheirs, who bad been famous in War, and
of long experience ; being one day in bis Houfe,. he began to confider the reafon,
bow it could be poílible for fo fmall anumber as
1
50
Spaniards
to
fubdue and en–
t}ave
12
or
1 3000
Jndiam;
for thar either they muíl: be Devils,
9r
otherwife irna
mortal Men, as once the
Jndians
did ar the beginning befieve rhérn
to
be, To
difcover chis myíl:@ry, and che reafon of this great difproporti:e>n in War; he one
day afcended to the top of a Hill, from whence-he ,ould fee and furvey. the two
Armies encamped ; that of the
lndians
was large, and far extended with great
.nurnbers of Men, chat of che
Spaniards
was little, and contraéted within a fmall
compafs of ground: Confidering awhile hereupon, and of the fimation of che
wo Camps, and wondering how it was poílible for
fo
frnall a nurnber
to
be al–
ways viétorious over a greacer ; he deparred, and went from thence
to
the
Indian
Camp, where having called a Council, and made a long and rational di[cour[e
upon this fubjeét ; he at laíl: rnade the[e Qgeries and Dernands in che cafe : '
Whether che
Spaniards
vvere mortal Men, like rhern, or yvhether rhey vvere
irnmorcal and incorruptible bodies, like chofe of the Sun and Moon
?
Whecher
they vvere in[enfible of hunger and thiríl:, and íl:ood in need of fleep or repo[e af-
ter toil and labour? and in íhorc, vvhether they vvere made of flefh and bones,
or of íl:eel and iron? The like Qgeries he alfo rnade concerning their Horfes: To
all which an[wer being made, that chey were Men like thern, and of the fame
compolition and nature ; Then, faid he, go your ways, and cake your repofe, and
to
motrovv you /hall fee vvho are rnoíl: Men, they, or vve. With chis the Af–
fembly being diífolved; in the rnorning, by break ofday, they founded
to
Arrns, .
che
Jndians
giving louder íhoms, and niaking grearer noife vvich tbeir Trumpets
and .Drums, and füch-like infüurnents, ·than they had forrnerly done ; and in a
íhort time rhe Old Captain had divided his Arrny imo chirreen feveral Squadrom;,
each confiíl:ing of a choufand Men, keeping chem íl:ill in reíerves one after the
ocher.
1
CH A P.