4 RIO NEGRO. [cHaY. Iv. 
stood several attacks. A man present at one gave me a very 
lively description of what took place. The inhabitants had suffi- 
cient notice to drive all the cattle and horses into the “ corral”* 
which surrounded the house, and likewise to mount some small 
cannon. ‘The Indians were Araucanians from the south of Chile; 
several hundreds in number, and highly disciplined. They first 
appeared in two bodies on a neighbouring hill; having there dis- 
mounted, and taken off their fur mantles, they advanced naked to 
the charge. The only weapon of an Indian is a very long bam- 
boo or chuzo, ornamented with ostrich feathers, and pointed by a 
sharp spear-head. My informer seemed to remember with the 
greatest horror the quivering of these chuzos as they approached 
near. “When close, the cacique Pincheira hailed the besieged to 
give up their arms, or he would cut all their throats. As this 
would probably have been the result of their entrance under any 
circumstances, the answer was given by a volley of musketry. 
The Indians, with great steadiness, came to the very fence of the 
corral: but to their surprise they found the posts fastened toge- 
ther by iron nails instead of leather thongs, and, of course, in 
vain attempted to cut them with their knives. This saved the 
lives of the Christians: many of the wounded Indians were car- 
ried away by their companions; and at last one of the under 
caciques being wounded, the bugle sounded a retreat. They re- 
tired to their horses, and seemed to hold a council of war. This 
was an awful pause for the Spaniards, as all their ammunition, 
with the exception of a few cartridges, was expended. In an 
instant the Indians mounted their horses, and galloped out of 
sight. Another attack was still more quickly repulsed. A cool 
Frenchman managed the gun; he stopped till the Indians ap- 
proached close, and then raked their line with grape-shot: he 
thus laid thirty-nine of them on the ground ; and, of course, such 
a blow immediately routed the whole party. 
The town is indifferently called El Carmen or Patagones. It 
is built on the face ofa cliff which fronts the river, and many of 
the houses are excavated even in the sandstone. The river is 
about two or three hundred yards wide, and is deep and rapid. 
The many islands, with their willow-trees, and the flat headlands, 
* The corral ts an enclosure made of tall and strong stakes, Every 
estancia, or farming estate, has one attached to it. 
