INTERVIEW WITH AN ARAUCANIAN CHIEF. 



71 



countrymen, we thought it prudent not to urge 

 the point on the attendants, who shuddered at the 

 very thoughts of it. Meanwhile we strolled along 

 the hanks of the magnificent river Biobio, which 

 washes the walls of the town. In our walk we 

 observed many black-eyed dames, sitting rurally 

 enough at their doors, spinning with distaff and 

 spindle, while their children played about them in 

 the street. 1 They wore flowers in their hair, in the 

 Chinese fashion, and were dressed with great 

 neatness : we found them quite willing to make 

 acquaintance and to chat with the strangers. 



In process of time we saw the Governor, who 

 obligingly allowed us to go to the Indian quarters ; 

 but he smiled incredulously, and shook his head at 

 our Quixotical project of rescuing the distressed 

 damsel, saying, it was quite useless to attempt 

 treating with Peneleo, who had scarcely anything 

 human about him. 



We made our visit to the Indians at a most 

 unpropitious hour, for they had just finished their 

 dinner, and were all more or less tipsy. On our 

 entering the court-yard of their quarters, we ob- 

 served a party seated on the ground round a great 

 tub full of wine ; they hailed our entrance with 

 loud shouts, or rather yells, and boisterously 

 demanded our business ; to all appearance very 

 little pleased with the interruption. The inter- 

 preter became alarmed, and wished us to retire ; 

 but this I thought imprudent, as each man had 

 his long spear close at hand, resting against the 

 eaves of the house. Had we attempted to escape, 

 we must have been taken, and possibly sacrificed, 

 by these drunken savages. As our best chance 

 seemed to lie in treating them without any show 

 of distrust, we advanced to the circle with a good- 

 humoured confidence, which appeased them con- 

 siderably. One of the party rose and embraced 

 us in the Indian fashion, which we had learned 

 from the gentlemen who had been prisoners with 

 Benavides. After this ceremony, they roared out 

 to us to sit down on the ground along with them, 

 and with the most boisterous hospitality insisted 

 on our drinking with them ; a request which we 

 cheerfully complied with. Their anger soon 

 vanished, and was succeeded by mirth and satis- 

 faction, which speedily became as outrageous as 

 their displeasure had been at first. Seizing a 

 favourable opportunity, we stated our wish to have 

 an interview with their chief, upon which a message 

 was sent to him ; but he did not think fit to show 

 himself for a considerable time, during which we 

 remained with the party round the tub, who con- 

 tinued swilling their wine like so many hogs. 

 Their heads soon became affected, and their ob- 

 streperous mirth increasing every minute, we felt 

 our situation by no means agreeable. 



At length Peneleo's door opened, and the chief 

 made his appearance ; he did not condescend, 

 however, to cross the threshold, but leaned against 

 the door-post to prevent falling, being, by some 

 degrees, more drunk than any of his people. A 

 more finished picture of* a savage cannot be con- 

 ceived. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man ; 

 with a prodigiously large head, and a square-shaped, 

 bloated face, from which peeped out two very 

 small eyes, partly hid by an immense superfluity 

 of black, coarse, oily, straight hair, covering his 

 cheeks, and hanging over his shoulders, rendering 

 his head somewhat of the size and shape of a bee- 



hive. Over his shoulders was thrown a poncho of 



coarse blanket-stuff. He received us very gruffly, 

 and appeared irritated and sulky at having been 

 disturbed: he was still more offended when he 

 learned that we wished to see his captive. We in 

 vain endeavoured to explain our real views ; but 

 he grunted out his answer in a tone and manner 

 which showed us plainly that he neither did, nor 

 wished, to understand us. We were deterred from 

 pressing the matter further, by the sight of his 

 spear, which was within his reach, and had already 

 heard too much of his habits to disregard his 

 displeasure. 



Whilst we were in conversation with Peneleo, 

 we stole an occasional glance at his apartment. 

 By the side of a fire, burning in the middle of the 

 floor, was seated a young Indian woman, with 

 long black hair reaching to the ground ; this, we 

 conceived, could be no other than the unfortunate 

 person we were in search of ; and we were some- 

 what disappointed to observe, that the lady was 

 neither in tears nor apparently very miserable ; 

 we therefore came away impressed with the un- 

 sentimental idea that the amiable Peneleo had 

 already made some impression on the young 

 widow's heart. 



Two Indians, who were not so drunk as the 

 rest, followed us to the outside of the court, and 

 told us, that several foreigners had been taken by 

 the Chilians in the battle near Chilian, and were 

 now safe. The interpreter hinted to us, that this 

 was probably invented by these cunning people, 

 on hearing our questions in the court ; but he 

 advised us, as a matter of policy, to give them 

 each a piece of money, and to get away as fast as 

 we could. 



On the 23d of October we sailed from Concep- 

 tion, and on the 26th anchored at Valparaiso. 



About a fortnight after our return, we were 

 greatly rejoiced by the arrival of Captain Moison, 

 and the seamen, so long captives, and in search of 

 whom we had been so ineffectually employed. As 

 we had formerly conjectured, they had been re- 

 moved to a considerable distance inland, when 

 Arauco was attacked. It was very satisfactory, 

 however, to learn, that all the prisoners had at 

 last succeeded in making their escape, after the 

 battle in which Benavides was routed near Chilian. 

 They had found their way to different parts of 

 the coast, and, after many difficulties, had reached 

 Conception, where they procured a passage in a 

 ship coming to Valparaiso. 



As the Conway did not again visit Chili, after 

 leaving it at this time, I found some difficulty in 

 discovering what had become of Benavides at 

 last. Fortunately, however, I obtained possession 

 of a Chilian Government Gazette Extraordinary, 

 published officially at Santiago, which gives a 

 history of the rise, progress, and close of his 

 career. 



I insert a translation of this document, as it is 

 not only curious in itself, but shows the singular 

 state of the Chilian frontier at that time ; and 

 helps also, in some degree, to fill up the foregoing 

 incomplete sketch. 



" Santiago, Saturday 23d February, 1822. 

 " Publtc Vengeance ! 



" Be it known to all Chilians, who are interested 

 in the glory of their country — and all who watch 



