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vantage of the absence of the Spanish army, laid 

 waste the neighbouring provinces. On receiving 

 this information Laso returned, and immedirtteij 

 occupied with his troops all the known passages 

 of the river ; then taking with him a Dumber of 

 men equal to that of the enemy, he went in pur- 

 suit of them with all possible expedition. Having 

 arrived at a place called Robleria, upon the shore 

 of the river Itata, he was attacked with such 

 courage by the Araucanian general, that at the 

 first encounter the Spaniards gave way, forty of 

 them being slain, with several of their officers. 

 The rest owed their safety wholly to the valour 

 of their commander, who, with that cool in- 

 trepidity which marks a great character, not onlj 

 rallied and restored them to order, but also en- 

 abled them to repulse the enemy Avith loss. 



Putapichion, satisfied with his success, and 

 still nx)re with having taken the scarlet cloak of 

 the governor, returned and passed the Bio-bio 

 without being pursued. He was received by his 

 army with the liveliest demonstrations of joy, 

 and in order to gratify them, he resolved to revive 

 the almost forgotten festival of the pruloncon. 

 A Spanish soldier taken in one of the preceding 

 battles was the victim selected for this barbarous 

 spectacle, and after the usual ceremonies the Ul- 

 men Maulican, by order of the general, dis- 

 patched him with a blow of his club. This 

 cruel action, which some have sought to excuse 



