1S3 



wards made at furious assault upon the place, in 

 which his valiant troops, with arms so far inferior 

 to their enemies, supported a continual fire for 

 five hours, now scaling the rampart, now pulling 

 up or burning the palisades. But perceiving 

 that valour alone could not avail him in this 

 difficult enterprise, he resolved to suspend the 

 attack, and seek some more certain means of at- 

 taining his end. 



With this view he persuaded one of his offi- 

 cers, named Pran, who had the reputation of 

 being very cunning and artful, to introduce him- 

 self into the garrison as a deserter, in order to 

 find means to deliver it up. Pran accordingly 

 obtained admission under that character, and 

 conducted himself with the profoundest dissimu- 

 lation. He soon formed a friendship with one of 

 the Chilians who served under the Spaniards^ 

 called Andrew, and who appeared to him a proper 

 instrument of his designs. One day, either art- 

 fully to sound him, or to flatter him, Andrew 

 pretended to sympathize with his friend on the 

 misfortunes of his country. Pran, who had as 

 yet given no intimation of his design, seized 

 with much readiness this occasion, and dis- 

 covered to him the motive of his pretended de- 

 sertion, earnestly entreating him to aid in the 

 execution of his scheme ; this was to introduce 

 some Araucanian soldiers into the place, at the 

 time when the Spaniards, wearied with their 



N 4 



