64 RIO NEGRO. [chap. iv. 



stood several attacks. A man present at one gave me a very 

 lively description of what took place. The inhabitants had suffi- 

 cient notice to drive all the cattle and horses into the " corral"* 

 which surrounded the house, and likewise to mount some small 

 cannon. The Indians were Araucanians from the south of Chile ; 

 several hundreds in number, and highly disciplined. They first 

 appeared in two bodies on a neighbouring hill ; having there dis- 

 mounted, and taken off their fur mantles, they advanced naked to 

 the charge. The only weapon of an Indian is a very long bam- 

 boo or chuzo, ornamented with ostrich feathers, and pointed by a 

 sharp spear-head. My informer seemed to remember with the 

 greatest horror the quivering of these chuzos as they approached 

 near. When close, the cacique Pincheira hailed the besieged to 

 give up their arms, or he would cut all their throats. As this 

 would probably have been the result of their entrance under any 

 circumstances, the answer was given by a volley of musketry. 

 The Indians, with great steadiness, came to the very fence of the 

 corral : but to their surprise they found the posts fastened toge- 

 ther by iron nails instead of leather thongs, and, of course, in 

 vain attempted to cut them with their knives. This saved the 

 lives of the Christians : many of the wounded Indians were car- 

 ried away by their companions ; and at last one of the under 

 caciques being wounded, the bugle sounded a retreat. They re- 

 tired to their horses, and seemed to hold a council of war. This 

 was an awful pause for the Spaniards, as all their ammunition, 

 with the exception of a few cartridges, was expended. In an 

 instant the Indians mounted their horses, and galloped out of 

 sight. Another attack was still more quickly repulsed. A cool 

 Frenchman managed the gun ; he stopped till the Indians ap- 

 proached close, and then raked their line with grape-shot : he 

 thus laid thirty-nine of them on the ground ; and, of course, such 

 a blow immediately routed the whole party. 



The town is indifferently called El Carmen or Patagones. It 

 is built on the face of a cliff which fronts the river, and many of 

 the houses are excavated even in the sandstone. The river is 

 about two or three hundred yards wide, and is deep and rapid. 

 The many islands, with their willow-trees, and the flat headlands, 



* The corral is an enclosure made of tall and strong stakes. Every 

 estancia, or farming estate, has one attached to it. 



