217 



always took care to avoid it, resolving to reserve his 

 force for a more favourable occasion. 



Finding no other means to restrain him, Loyola 

 erected in the neighbourhood of his encampment 

 two forts, one upon the ancient site of that of Puren, 

 and the other on the very borders of the marshes of 

 Lumaco. These he garrisoned with the greater part 

 of a reinforcement of troops which at that time he 

 received from Peru, and sent the remainder, in 1597, 

 to found an establishment in the province of Cujo, 

 under the name of St. Louis de Loyola, which still 

 exists, although in a miserable condition, notwith- 

 standing the advantages of its situation. 



Paillamachu soon took by storm the fortress of 

 Lumaco, and gave the charge o^ reducing that of 

 Puren to Pelantaru and Millacalquin. Having in ten 

 days reduced the garrison to extremity, these offi- 

 cers, agreeably to the instructions of their general, 

 retired on the arrival of a reinforcement of Spaniards 

 under the command of Pedro Cortez, who had ob- 

 tained great reputation in that war. The governor, 

 nevertheless, shortly after arriving there with the 

 rest of the army, ordered the fortifications to be 

 demolished, and the garrison to be transferred to 

 Angol, fearing to expose it to the fate of that of Lu- 

 maco. He then proceeded to Imperial, to secure 

 that city in the best possible manner against the 

 increasing strength of the enemy. 



After having repaired the fortifications of Impe- 

 rial, and also those of Villarica and Valdivia, he 

 returned to the Bio-bio under an escort of three 

 .hundred men, whom he ordered back as soon 

 Vol. II. E e 



