S40 



view he proceeded against the forts of Trinidad 

 and Spirito Santo, upon the shores of the Bio-bio, 

 The governor, apprehensive that he should not 

 be able to defend them, or not considering them 

 as of sufficient importance, evacuated them in 

 1589, and transferred the garrisons to another 

 fortress, v^'hich he had directed to be built upon 

 the river Puchanqui, in order to protect the city 

 of Angoi ' So that the war now became in a 

 arreat measure reduced to the construction and 

 demolition of fortifications. 



The dictatorship pf Guanoalca was rendered 

 more remarkable by the military exploits of the 

 heroine Janequeo (ban by his ovv n. This woman 

 was the wife of that valiant officer Guepotan, 

 . who for so long a time defended the post of hi-^ 

 ben. After the loss of that important place he 

 retired to the Andes, where he constantly endea- 

 voured to stimulate those mountaineers to the 

 - defence of the country. Desirous of having his 

 wife with him, he at length descended into the 

 plains in search of her, but was surprised by the 

 Spaniards, who were very solicitous to ^et him 

 into their hands, and preferred being cut in 

 pieces to surreniiering himself prisoner. Jane- 

 queo, inflamed with an ardent desire of avenging 

 the death of her husband, ii? company with her 

 brother Guechiuntereo, placed herself at the 

 bead of an army of Puel'*hcs, with which, in 

 1590, she began to make inroads upon the Spanish 



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