199 



number of mustees and mulattoes joined the Aran- 

 canians, and cvlmi some Spaniards, among wlioiii 

 was Juan Sanchez, who acquired great reputation. 



The Araucanian general, impelled either by his 

 natural audacity, or by despair, on finding himself 

 fallen in the estimation of the native inhabitants, op- 

 posed on the confines of the province of Araucothe 

 whole Spanish army with only eight hundred men. 

 They nevertheless fought v/ith such resolution that 

 the Spaniards were not able to break them till af- 

 ter an obstinate contest of several hours, in which 

 they lost a considerable number of men. Almost all 

 the Araucanians were slain, Payneaancu himself 

 WHS taken prisoner, and immediately executed. The 

 victorious governor then rebuilt the fortress of Arau- 

 co, appointing the quarter- master Garcia Ramon to 

 command it, and encamped on the shore of the ri- 

 ver Carampangui. 



The Araucanian valour which had been depressed 

 by the imprudent conduct of the mustee general, 

 was excited anew by the elevation to that dignity, in 

 1585, of Cayancaru, one of their own countrymen, 

 and Ulmen of the district of Mariguenu. One hun- 

 dred and fifty messengers, furnished with symbolical 

 arrows, were immediately dispatched to various 

 quarters in search of aid. Every thing was put in 

 motion, and in a short time a respectable army was 

 assembled. The new Toqui determined to attack 

 at midnight the Spanish camp, which still occupied 

 the post of Carampangui, of whose exact situation 

 he was informed by mearis of a spy. For this pur- 

 pose he formed his army into three divisions, and 



