184 OVALLE*S HISTORICAL RELATION OF CHILE. 



have begun to flourlfh in It ; and by this eflay a judgment may be made of thofe 

 fettlements. I pafs on to the particulars of the conqueft of that kingdom, that I may 

 afterwards give an account of the progrefs of the chriftian faith, and the great hopes 

 there is of its greater propagation. 



CHAP. IX. — The Governor Pedro de Valdhia purfues his Conquefl. — The Gold Mines 

 are begun to be wrought, — He fends Proofs of their Riches to Peru ; from whence the 

 General Juan Bapti/ie Paftene brings him thefirfi Succours, 



THE Governor Pedro de Valdivia having founded the city of St. Jago, began to 

 hink of fortifying himfelf in that poft, to defend himfelf againft the fury of the In- 

 dians, with whom he was every day. engaged; and many men were loll on both 

 fides, fo that his men began to be uneafy, and talk of going back to Peru, as Almagro 

 had done ; for though they faw the richnefs of the country, yet it appeared to them 

 dearly bought, fmce they could not get any of it without running great hazards by 

 the many engagements that they had with the enemy ; fo that they gave their lives for 

 gone. The Governor Pedro de Valdivia was not ignorant of the difficulty of his 

 enterprize ; but yet encouraged by the hopes of fuccefs, at lad he refolved rather to 

 die than give it over ; and being an experienced foldier, bred in the wars of Europe, 

 he refolved to raife a fort for the defence of his men, being convinced of the bravery 

 of the enemy he had to do with ; and though he was informed of a general rifmg, 

 which the Indians defigned, he fent feventy men to make an incurfion towards the 

 river of Cachapoal. The Indians taking the opportunity of the abfence of thefe men, 

 attacked the fort, and had gained it if the Spaniards had not (hewed incredible valour 

 in the defence of it till the other men returned ; and by their afliftance they repulfed 

 the Indians, and remained conquerors. 



The governor made good ufe of this advantage, both with the Indians and his own 

 men ; fo that having quieted them, he began to work upon the mines of Quillota, 

 which were of great fame : they proved fo rich, and yeilded fuch a quantity of gold, 

 that he thought it advifeable to make a fort there for the fecurity of his men ; but 

 finding want of hands, by the lofles he had had, he refolved to fend to Peru for relief. 

 This he put in execution, giving at the fame time an account of the richnefs and fruit- 

 fulnefs of the country, to incite people ; and becaufe ocular tefliimony perfuadcs more 

 than what we only hear of, he trufted fix men, whom he fent along with thirty others, 

 to have a great deal of gold with them, caufmg befides the ftirrups of their horfes, 

 and all that is employed of iron work about the bridles and faddles, to be made of 

 mafly gold, making the ftirrups very great and large on purpofe. But all this defign 

 was difappointed ; for thefe men, who were thus gilded like funs, were, when they 

 came to the valley of Copiapo, fallen upon by the Indians, and all perifhed but two, 

 who were Pedro de Miranda, and Monroy, officers, who got away by the help of their 

 horfes ; but being purfued by the Indians through mountainous ways, and their horfes 

 tiring, they were taken by an Indian captain, called Cateo, who had a company of 

 archers : they tied their hands behind them, and carried them to their Cacique, who 

 defigned to put them to death. 



This Cacique was married to the heirefs of all this valley (for there inheritances 

 follow the women, for greater fecurity of the right line), and when thefe two were 

 expe£ling nothing but the blow of death, it pleafed God to infpire the Cacica, or 

 Cacique's lady, with compaflion j and fo Ihe went herfelf, and with her own hands 



lit " untied 



