237 



fortress of Puren, which from its interior situation 

 appeared more easy to be taken. He invested it 

 regularly with four thousand men in four divi-r 

 sions, under the command of Guanalcoa^ Canio- 

 taru, Rclmuantu, and Curilemu, the most valiant 

 oHicers of his army, The governor, on receiving 

 information of the danger of the place, hastened 

 to relieve it with a strong reinforcement, but 

 Cadeguala advanced to meet him with a hundred 

 and fifty lances, and opposed him with such 

 vigour, that after along combat, in which several 

 were killed, he compelled him to retreat. 



Elated with this success, he proposed to the 

 besieged, either to allow them to retire upon pa- 

 jrole, or enter his service. These terms, which 

 he pretended to consider as advantageous, were 

 rejected with disdain. One person alone, called 

 Juan Tapia, availed himself of the pf offer, and 

 w cnt over to the Araucanians, by whom he was 

 well received, and advanced in theii/ array. This 

 plan proving abortive, Cadeguala determined to 

 shorten the siege by a decisive blow. He pre- 

 sented himself before the walls on a superb horse 

 w hich he hg,d taken from the governor, and defied 

 the commander of the place, Garcia Ramon, to 

 single combat at the end of three days. The 

 challenge being accepted, the intrepid Toqui ap^ 

 peared at the time appointed in the field, with a 

 small number of attendants, whom he placed 

 apart. The Spanish commander came out to 



