While Caupolican resumed the sieges of Imperial and Valdivia, his active lieutenant, at the head of six hun dred chosen companions, undertook to employ the enemy in another quarter. He conceived the bold design, by attacking St Jago itself, to strike a blow at the centre of their power in Chili. Immediately he began his march, and penetrated to the river Maule without offering the least violence to the natives : but the moment he enter ed the Promatician territory, he gave a loose to his indig nation, and with more justice than policy, took a dread ful vengeance upon these traitorous apostates, whom, by conciliating, he might have recalled, perhaps, from their hated allegiance. He then fortified himself in their ter ritory, in place of marching upon St Jago ; a delay which proved fatal to the success of the enterprize. The inhabitants were quickly informed of his approach; but, lying at the distance of three hundred miles from Araucania, they at first only ridiculed the information, and could scarcely credit the possibility of so daring an attempt, till it was fully ascertained to them, by the sur prise and defeat of one of their detachments. Villagran, being unable himself, from indisposition, to head the for ces, gave the command to his son Pedro, with instruc tions to march directly against the enemy. Pedro at tempted in vain to force the Araucanian encampment, and was repeatedly discomfited. A bold stratagem of Lautaro's had nearly o•e•whehncd his whole army : by turning upon it, during the night, a branch of the river Mataquito. Having escaped this disaster, he soon after wards laid down the command to his father, who found himself in a condition to resume it. Villagran had now been taught respect for his adversary ; and dreading the consequence of a pitched engagement, resolved if possi ble to take him by surprise. Conducted by a secret path, he reached at day-break the Araucanian camp. At the first alarm, Lautaro, who had just retired from the fa tigues of a night's watch, was in a moment at the head of his troops ; and, at the same instant, was seen to drop, pierced to the heart by one of the enemy's darts. The exulting Spaniards pressed furiously upon his dispi rited soldiers, the meanest of whom would have willing ly exchanged fates with his beloved commander, and cared not to survive him. But the triumph was dearly purchased. Not a man of that chosen band would sub mit to yield himself a prisoner. They spurned- at the offered mercy ; and after a long and bloody resistance, the few that still remained, to find death, Ividle they continued to deal it so profusely around them, threw themselves on the spears of the admiring and re luctant enemy.
The extravagant rejoicings which the Spaniards ma nifested on this occasion, and which were continued for three days in succession, throughout all settlements in Chili, sufficiently testified the importance attached to the victory. Nothing could better celebrate the merits of the young hero, in whose destruction they so exult ingly triumphed, and which they regal ded as itself a full equivalent for ail their disasters. Like Al trek- of Rome, he was the sword of Araucania. His p3AC 'ful genius supplied the want of experience; and during his short and brilliant career, success never firsook him. The beauty of his person was equal to the :Ali of iiis mind. Ilis memory is still fond:y c:•erislid, and he is still the boast of his country, as he was formetly its glory and protection.
Villagran was superseded in commurd by Don Gar cia de Mendoza, who arriving fi out •iti a large body of recruits, landed near Conception, 1557), in t':e small island of Quiriquina. Sonic of its inia,bitants, w: o pre tended to dispute the debarkation, being made prisoners, Garcia commissioned them with offers of peace to the Araucanians. Though Caupolican and the other chiefs were well convinced of the insincerity of this overture, they determined, after some debate, to meet it with a like appearance of candour. From this mode of acting, they proposed to themselves at least one advantage : they hoped to procure information of the designs and power of the enemy. Millalauco was appointed ambas sador, and the Spaniards received him with the most splendid military parade. After the conference, which ended, to the disappointment of neither party, in vague offers and general professions, they conducted him, with equal ceremony, through every part of the camp ; and, in order to dazzle and intimidate him, their whole strength (what he secretly desired) was laid open to his minutest observation. Upon the return of Millalauco, his coun trymen instantly prepared for war.
The first operation of Garcia was the erection of a strong fortress, on the top of Mount Pinto, which com mands the harbour of Conception. This the Araucanians in vain attempted to storm and soon after the Spanish commander, having collected all his forces, crossed the Biobio, and defeated them with considerable slaughter. On this occasion, the 'cruelty of Garcia to the prisoners was a portentous prelude to his future barbarities. Those of them who escaped with life, were disfigured and mu tilated in a shocking manner. Such proceedings, in place of intimidating a warlike people,. and hastening their submission,f excited only their abhorrence and contempt, and roused even their indignant females to assume the trade of destruction, and, by the side of their husbands, to share, with masculine valour, in the toils and perils of battle.4 And though the Spaniards, during the whole of Garcia's administration, maintained a decided superi ority, this should rather be imputed to the strength of the Spanish army, the greatest that had yet appeared in Chili, than to the effect of those infamous inflictions. At the battle of Milipuru, which took place soon after the last, the Araucanians, by feats of the most adventurous gallantry, were on the point of obtaining a complete tri umph, when their own furious impetuosity saved the Spaniards-. A Spanish body of reserve, profiting by their confusion, restored the battle, and secured their defeat. Among the prisoners were six Ulmens, all of whom were sacrificed to the cruel policy of Garcia, and displayed at their execution a magnanimity which should have drawn his esteem and admiration : but the sordid hearts of these tyrants, engrossed only with the schemes of their own selfish ambition, were shut against every manly and generous sentiment; and such, at that period, was the grossness of their depravity, that, to manifest, but for once, a single feeling of human sympathy, a disposition only to alleviate the horrors of oppression, was sufficient to gain for its author the exalted title of humanity.