Prosperity thus Shone upon the triumphant Spaniards, but a fatal storm was already gathering among the ene my. Submission was equally intolerable and repugnant to the haughty spirit of the Araucanians, and it required but little persuasion to excite them to more vigorous measures. By the exertions of Colocolo, an aged Ul men, the chiefs were assembled, Lyncoyan deposed, and after a violent altercation about the supremacy, the choice of a new Toqui was unanimously submitted to the pru dent Colocolo. He immediately directed their notice to Caupolican, of a genius at once enterprising and cau tious, but whose modesty had hitherto prevented his ap pearing as a candidate. A shout of enthusiastic ap plause proclaimed his election ; and scarcely had he as sumed the badge of authority, when he had to repress the fiery zeal of his countrymen, who demanded in stantly to march in quest of the enemy. After. suffi cient preparation, he led them against the forts of Arau co and Tucapel, both of which, after a short siege, he forced the Spaniards to evacuate ; and, on the ruins of the latter, waited the approach of Valdivia, who was in vain hastening to its relief. The two armies soon met, and the first onset proved auspicious to the Araucanians. The enemy's left wing, pushing forward to meet their attack, was surrounded and cut in pieces. A second detachment fell in the same manner. As the conflict, however, became general, the tide of success was for a while balanced, and began at length to flow heavily agai:ist the Araucanians. The Spanish artillery pene trated, with dreadful effect, their compact and crowded battalions. Twice had they been repulsed in disorder, when a third discomfiture completed the confusion, and baffled all the efforts of Caupolican to renew the com bat. At this critical moment, the famous Lautaro, a young Araucanian, the captive and page of Valdivia, seized with a patriotic enthusiasm, darted from the hos tile ranks, upbraided, rallied, and at length brought his indignant countrymen with such fury to the charge, that the first encounter proved completely decisive ; and with such fatal promptitude did he pursue the advantage, that, excepting their general who was made prisoner, not a single Spaniard escaped the slaughter : Only two Promaucians reached Conception with intelligence of the battle. Valdivia condescended to ask his life of the con queror, promising to quit Chili with all his countrymen ; and Caupolican, influenced, as well by his own generous temper, as by the intercession of Lautaro, sheaved an inclination to spare him. An old Ulmen, however, more prudent than humane, exclaiming against the folly of trusting to the oaths and the promises of an ambitious adversary, and furious at the thoughts of his escape, secretly approached the prisoner, and dashed out his brains with a blow of his club. A severe punishment would have quickly followed this precipitate conduct, but for the obstinate interposition of the Araucanian offi cers.
This important victory produced the evacuation of Puren, and the abandonment of Villarica, and the city of the Frontiers. It was celebrated by the Araucanians during three successive clays, w hilst the heads of their fallen enemies were suspended with savage exultation, around the place of festivity. Lautaro, who, at the early age of sixteen, had thus gloriously achieved the salva tion of his country, was created lieutenant-general-ex traordinary, and entrusted with the command of a sepa rate army; and Caupolican laid siege to Imperial and Valdivia, the only places of strength in Araucania that now remained to the Spaniards.
The accounts of Valdivia's overthrow and death, fill ed the inhabitants of Conception with the utmost dis may. The instructions being opened, which he had en trusted to the magistrates of that city, it was found that three persons, Aldercte, Aguirre, and Francis Villagran, Ni ere nominated to succeed him in the government; but neither of the two former being present in Chili, the command devolved upon Villagran. This gallant officer, less intimidated by the late disaster than impatient to re venge and repair it, immediately upon his accession to the government, levied a considerable army, and march ed in quest of the Araucanians. In expectation of his approach, and with a resolution to oppose his passage, the young Lautaro had taken a strong position on the hill of AIariguenu. Villagran soon arrived, attacked him with all his forces, and, after a furious and obstinate con test, was at length totally routed. He effected his own escape to Conception with the greatest difficulty, being attended only by a few horse, and leaving on the field of battle the greater part of his soldiers. Not conceiving the town to be at all tenable against the efforts of a tri umphant and vigorous enemy, he embarked in haste the old men, women, and children, to be conveyed to Impe rial and Valparaiso, and with the remaining- inhabitants marched by land to St Jago. Lautaro soon after conduct ed his victorious followers into the deserted city, and en riched them IN iris its plunder.
During these operations, Caupolican had pressed the sieges of Imperial and Valdivia; but Villagran, being apprised of their danger, and having succeeded in throw ing into them sufficient reinforcements, the Araucanian general discontinued the attempt, and with a view to some more impoitant enterprize, united his army with that of Lautaro.
About this period, the small-pox, that pestilence to the New World, which a few years before had appeared in the northern provinces, was now for the first time intro duced into Araucania, during a predatory excursion from the town of Valdivia, by the Spaniards. Its effects were awfully destructive. One district, in particular, was almost completely depopulated. Of twelve thousand persons, not more than a hundred survived its ravages.
In addition to the late misfortunes, the Spaniards were now menaced with a civil war. Francis Aguirre, whose pretensions to the government were superior to those of Villagran, upon information of Valdivia's death, had re linquished his unpromising attempts upon Cujo, and re turned to claim the command in Chili. Happily, how ever, for the colony, the two rivals were induced to sub mit their pretensions to the court of Audience at Lima. After an expedient to satisfy both parties, by favouring neither, V tilagran was, at the petition of the colonies, confirmed in his command ; being invested AVitil the more humble title of Corregidor. From the sane court, he received instructions to re-establish the settlement of Conception. This he complied with, less from a con currence in the measure, than from a desire to prove his submission. But he was not suffered to remain long unmolested, in the neighbourhood of so igo•ous an ad versary. Lautaro met him in the field, with two thou sand min, was again victorious, and once more laid in ruins the city and its fortifications.