44 



Till earlli confess ihc brave Lautaro'shand 

 Has clos'd the glorious work his spirit plann'd. 

 In these resolves the Hero found relief, 

 And thus velax'd the o'erslrain'd cord of grief ; 

 Whose pressure gall'dhim with such mental pain, 

 That frenzy almost sciz'd his burning brain. 



T^autaro continues his march into an Indian district, from which 

 he collects a small increase of force ; and, after addressing hi» 

 soldiers concerning the expediencyof strict military discipline, and 

 the cause of their late ill success, he turns again towards the city 

 of St. Jago: hut, receiving intelligence on his road of its prepara- 

 tions for defence, he again suspends his design, and fortifies a post, 

 ■which he Chuses with the hope of collecting still greater numbers 

 to assist him in his projected enterprize. The Spaniards at St. 

 Jago are eager to sally in quest of Lautaro, l)ut their commander 

 Villagran was absent on an expedition to the city of Imperial. In 

 returning from thence he passes near the post of Lautaro. An 

 Indian ally acquaints him with its situation, and, at theeai'nest re- 

 quest of the Spanish officer, agrees to conduct him, by a short 

 though difficult road, over a mountain, to attack the fort by sur- 

 prize. The Poet suspends his narration of tins interesting event, 

 to relate tlie arrival of the Marquis de Cañete as Viceroy 

 in Peru, a¡)d the spirited manner in which he corrected the abuses 

 of tJiat countrv. 



CANTO XIII. 



SPANISH deputies from the province of Chili implore assistance 

 from the new Viceroy of Peru : he sends them a considerable suc- 

 cour, under the conduct of Don Garcia, his son. The Poet is him- 

 self of this band, and relates the splendid preparations for the en- 

 terprize, and the embarcation of the troops in ten vessels, which 

 sail from Lima towards the coast of Chili. Having described part 

 of this voyage, he returns to the bold exploit of Villagran, and the 

 adventures of Lautaro, the most interesting of all the Araucanian 

 Heroes, whom he left securinghimsclf in his sequestered fort. 



A path where watchful centinels Avere spread, 

 A single path, to this lune station led : 



