I 



142 



hightened his confidence, that nothing appeared to 



' him impossible to be overcome. 



In order to carry into effect this hazardous enter- 

 prise, he required but five hundred men, to be se- 

 lected by himself ; but those who pressed to march 

 imder his standard were so numerous that he w^as 

 compelled to receive another hundred. The two 

 generals then separated amidst the joyful acclama- 

 tions of the nation, who, thoughtless of the reverses 

 of fortune, flattered themselves with the most fortu- 

 nate issue to their expeditions. 



Lautaro, at die head of his six hundred com- 

 panions, traversed all the provinces lying between 

 the Bio- bio and the Maule, without doing the least 

 injury to the natives, who called him their deliverer. 

 But when he had passed this last river, he began 

 cruelly to lay waste the lands of the hated Promau- 

 cians, whom, had he then treated with kindness, he 

 would have detached from the Spanish interest, and 

 united to his party. But the intemperate desire of 

 revenge did not allow him to foresee the good ef- 

 fects that this opportune reconciliation might pror 

 duce to the common cause. 



After having taken revenge, in some measure, up- 

 on these betrayers of the country as he called them, 

 he fortified himself in their territory, in an advan- 

 tageous post, situated on the shore of the Rio-claro 

 with the view, most probably, of gaining more cor- 



* rect information of the state of the city he intended 

 to attack, or to await there the coming of his ene- 

 mies, and to cut them off from time to time. This 

 ill-timed delay was very important to the iohabitawts 



