189 



ches the best road to the south. Tunconobal 

 directed him towards the west, which was the 

 most rough and mountainous, and on being ap 

 plied to for a guide, gave him one of his com- 

 panions, whom he charged to conduct the army 

 by the most desolate and difficult roads of the 

 coast. The guide pursued so strictly the in- 

 struction of the Araucanian, that the Spaniards^ 

 who in their pursuit of conquest were accus- 

 tomed to surmount with ease the severest fa- 

 tigues, acknowledged that they had never before, 

 in any of their marches, encountered difficulties 

 comparable with these. Their impatience was 

 greatly augmented on the fourth day, when their 

 pretended guide quitted them, and they found 

 themselves in a desart surrounded by precipices^ 

 from whence they perceived no way to extricate 

 themselves. All their constancy and perseverance 

 would have been insufficient to support them, if 

 Don Garcia had not incessantly encouraged them 

 with the flattering hope of soon reaching the 

 happy country which he had promised them. 



Having at length overcome all obstacles, they 

 came to the top of a high mountain, from whence 

 they discovered the great Archipelago of Ancud, 

 more commonly called Chiloe, whose channels 

 were covered with a great number of boats navi- 

 gated with sails and oars. This unexpected 

 prospect filled them with joy. As they had for 

 many days suflfered from hunger, they hastened 



