CAPTIVE INDIANS 107 



and allowed his own eye to be forced out sooner than relinquish 

 his hold. Another, who was wounded, feigned death, keeping a 

 knife ready to strike one more fatal blow. My informer said, 

 when he was pursuing an Indian, the man cried out for mercy, 

 at the same time that he was covertly loosing the bolas from 

 his waist, meaning to whirl it round his head and so strike his 

 pursuer. " I however struck him with my sabre to the ground, 

 and then got off my horse, and cut his throat with my knife." 

 This is a dark picture ; but how much more shocking is the 

 unquestionable fact, that all the women who appear above twenty 

 years old are massacred in cold blood ? When I exclaimed 

 that this appeared rather inhuman, he answered, "Why, what 

 can be done ? they breed so ! " 



Every one here is fully convinced that this is the most just 

 war, because it is against barbarians. Who would believe in 

 this age that such atrocities could be committed in a Christian 

 civilised country? The children of the Indians are saved, 

 to be sold or given away as servants, or rather slaves for 

 as long a time as the owners can make them believe themselves 

 slaves ; but I believe in their treatment there is little to com- 

 plain of. 



In the battle four men ran away together. They were 

 pursued, one was killed, and the other three were taken alive. 

 They turned out to be messengers or ambassadors from a large 

 body of Indians, united in the common cause of defence, near 

 the Cordillera. The tribe to which they had been sent was on 

 the point of holding a grand council ; the feast of mare's flesh 

 was ready, and the dance prepared : in the morning the ambas- 

 sadors were to have returned to the Cordillera. They were 

 remarkably fine men, very fair, above six feet high, and all 

 under thirty years of age. The three survivors of course pos- 

 sessed very valuable information ; and to extort this they were 

 placed in a line. The two first being questioned, answered, 

 " No se " (I do not know), and were one after the other shot. 

 The third also said, *' No se ; " adding, " Fire, I am a man, and 

 can die ! " Not one syllable would they breathe to injure the 

 united cause of their country ! The conduct of the above- 

 mentioned cacique was very different ; he saved his life by 

 betraying the intended plan of warfare, and the point of union 

 in the Andes. It was believed that there were already six or 



