253 



After having repaired the fortifications of Im- 

 perial, and also those of Villarica and Valdivia, 

 he returned to the Bio-bio under an escort of 

 three hundred men, whom he ordered back as 

 soon as he thought himself in a place of security, 

 retaining with him, besides his own family, only 

 sixty half-pay officers and three Franciscan friars. 

 Paillamachu, who had secretly watched his mo- 

 tions, and followed him with two hundred sol- 

 diers, conceived this a favourable opportunity to 

 put his designs in execution. Accordingly, find- 

 ing him encamped in the pleasant valley of Ca- 

 ralava, befell upon him, while he was asleep, on 

 the night of the 22d of November, 1598, and 

 killed him with all his retinue. It would seem 

 that the Araucanian general had formed confi- 

 dent hopes of the success of this bold enter- 

 prise, since, in consequence of his previous in- 

 structions, in less than forty-eight hours after 

 this event, net only the Araucanian provinces but 

 those of the Cunchese and Huilliches were in 

 arms, and the whole of the country to the Archi- 

 pelago of Chiloe. Every Spaniard who had the 

 misfortune of being found without the garrisons 

 was put to death ; and the cities of Osorno, 

 Valdivia, Villarica, Imperial, Canete, Angol, 

 Coya, and the fortress of Arauco, were all at 

 once invested with a close siege. Not content 

 with this, Paillamachu, without loss of time, 

 crossed the Bic-bio, burned the cities of Con- 



