125 



him by accident : Having that morning taken a par- 

 ty of eighty Indians, auxiliaries of the Spaniards, 

 who were conducting forage to the neighbouring 

 post of Arauco, he substituted in their place an equal 

 number of his bravest soldiers, under the command 

 of Cajuguenu and Alcatipay, whom he directed to 

 keep their arms concealed among the bundles of 

 grass, and to retain possession of the gate of the 

 fortress until he could come to their assistance with 

 his army. 



The pretended foragers performed their parts so 

 well, that without the' least suspicion they were ad- 

 mitted into the fortress. Immediately they seized 

 their arms, attacked the guard, and began to kill all 

 that came in their way. The remainder of the gar- 

 rison under the command of Francis Reynoso, has- 

 tened, well armed, to the scene of tumult, opposed 

 them vigorously, and after an obstinate contest, 

 drove them from the gate at the very moment of the 

 arrival of the Araucanian arfny ; so that they had 

 but just time to raise the draw-bridge and hasten to 

 the defence of the walls. Although Caupolican was 

 disappointed in his expectations, he hoped, however, 

 to derive some advantage from the confusion of the 

 enemy, and, encouraging his soldiers, assailed the 

 fortress upon every side, notwithstanding the con- 

 tinual fire of the besieged from two cannon and six 

 field pieces. But perceiving that he lost a great 

 number of men, he resolved to turn the assault into 

 a blockade, expecting to reduce the place by famine. 



After various unsuccessful sallies, in which they 

 lost many of their companions, they resolved to aban» 



