ovalle's historical relation of chile. 113 



them to take any other employments, but mind their arms and their horfes, that they 

 may be perfeft in all their exercifes. To thefe they aflign their pofl upon occafion, 

 according as each has behaved himfelf in thofe which he has been in before ; and they 

 have in this no confi deration of gentility, interceffion of others, or other motives, but 

 that alone of a good performance, and the many proofs given by them of their courage 

 and condud in war. 



The arms they ufe are pikes, halberts, lances, hatchets, maces of arms, bars, darts, 

 arrows, and clubs ; as alfo ftrong noofes to throw upon a horfeman, and flings. Their 

 horfe fight with lance and buckler, which they have learned from the Spaniards, and 

 from them they have had their horfes ; for before their time, they had neither horfe 

 nor iroji, but they have a hard wood, which grows yet harder by being turned in the 

 fire, and is almolt as ufeful as fteel. They have hard and ftrong corfelets, back and 

 breaft, and thighs, arms, bracelets, gauntlets, helmets, morions ; all thefe of a hard- 

 ened leather, fo prepared when raw, that it becomes by drying as impenetrable as any 

 fteel ; and they are fomething better, becaufe more manageable, and do embarrafs the 

 body lefs, as being lighter ; and fo the man is more at his eafe, and better difpofed in 

 fight. Among them the pikeman may not be an archer ; neither can any that ufes 

 the mace of arms, ufe other arms ; fo every one beftirs himfelf with the arms he is 

 ufed to. 



In forming their battalions, every file is of above an hundred men, and between every 

 pikeman an archer, who are defended by the pikemen, who clofe their flioulders to- 

 gether ; and if their firft battalion is broken, the fecond relieves them with fo much 

 readinefs, that there feems not that any have failed ; and fo by the third and fourth 

 following each other, like waves of the fea, without any interruption ; and no man 

 forfakes his rank but by death. They always endeavour to have fome bog or lake not 

 far off for a retreat ; for there they are more in fafety than in the ftrongeft caftle. 

 Their volunteers go before the battalion, trailing their pikes with fo much ftate, and 

 are themfelves fo haughty, that, like Goliah, they challenge their enemy to meet them 

 body to body ; and they do the fame to the Spaniards, giving themfelves great airs of 

 pride. They march to the found of their drums and trumpets, having their arms gar- 

 niftied with all variety of beautiful colours, and themfelves adorned with great plumes 

 of rich feathers, fo that they appear very handfome and fightly. 



When they make any forts for their defence, it is of great trees interwoven with 

 each other, and leaving in the middle a place of arms ; and formerly within this fort 

 they ufed to make another of thick planks. Behind this, they make a great ditch, 

 covered over with plants and flowers, but underneath them fliarp ftakes to lame the 

 enemy's horfes ; fome they make deeper, that the horfes may remain there ftaked 

 through. 



Many of them are fubjeft to great fuperftitions and auguries, obferving the omens, 

 both before and at the time of their undertaking ; but many of them laugh at thofe 

 obfervations, faying, there are nd better omens than good blows, and ftout laying about 

 them, without fear of either fteel, fire, or any fort of death ; and it is certainly fo, 

 that their firft encounter is terrible, and as if they feared no one thing in the world. , 

 When they are drawn up, and ready to engage, there is filence made, and the general 

 raifing his voice, begins an harangue, fo full of fpirit, filled with fuch warm incitations, 

 and fuch a lively adion, that the cowardlieft among them become like lions and tygers* 

 againft their enemies. He lays before them the glory of vidory, and the fliame of 

 being overcome, and made captives and flaves to their adverfaries. " Take notice," 

 fays he, " that there is now no medium between thofe two extremes : are not you the 



vol. XIV. ' Q fons 



