44 



that has been employed by all political conquerors, 

 who have ever availed themselves of the aid of bar- 

 barians to conquer barbarians, in order, finally, to 

 subjugate the whole. In fact, the Spanish armies 

 have ever since that period been strengthened by 

 Promaucian auxiliaries, from whence has sprung 

 that rooted antipathy, which the Araucanians pre- 

 serve against the residue of that nation. 



In the course of the year 1546, Valdivia, having 

 passed the Maule, proceeded in his career of vic- 

 tory to the river Itata. While encamped there in a 

 place called Quilacura, he was attacked at night by 

 a body of the natives, who destroyed many of his 

 horses, and put him in imminent hazard of experi- 

 encing a total rout. His loss upon this occasion 

 must have been very considerable, since he after^ 

 wards relinquished his plan of proceeding farther, 

 and returned to St. Jago. Perceiving that his ex- 

 pected succours from Peru did not arrive, he re- 

 solved to go thither in person, hoping, by means of 

 his activity and address, to recruit a body of troops 

 sufficient for the subjugation of the southern provin* 

 ces, which had shown themselves the most warlike. 



As he was on the eve of his departure, in the year 

 1547, Pastenes arrived, but without any men, and 

 brought news of the civil war that had broken out 

 between the conquerors of the empire of the Incas. 

 Nevertheless, persuaded that he might reap an advan- 

 tage from these revolutions, he set sail with Pastene 

 for Peru, taking v/ith him a great quantity of gold. 

 On his arrival, }ie served in quality of quarter- master- 

 general in the famous battle that decided the fat^ 



