145 



heart, and he fell lifeless in the arms of his com- 

 panions. It would seem that fortune, hitherto propi- 

 tious, was desirous by so sudden a death to save him 

 from the mortification of finding himself for the first 

 time in his life defeated. It is, however, not impro- 

 bable that his genius, so fertile in expedients, would 

 haye suggested to him some plan to have bafiled the 

 attempts of the assailants, if this fatal accident had 

 not occurred. 



Encouraged by this unexpected success. Villa- 

 gran attacked the fortification on all sides, and forced 

 an entrance, notwithstanding the obstinate resistance 

 of the Araucanians, who, retiring to an angle of the 

 works, determined rather to be cut to pieces than to 

 surrender themselves to those who had slain their 

 beloved general. In vain the Spanish commander 

 repeatedly offered them quarter. None of them 

 would accept it excepting a few of the neighbouring 

 Indians, who happened accidentally to be in their 

 camp. The Araucanians perished to the last man, 

 and fought with such obstinacy that they sought for 

 death by throwing themselves on the lances of their 

 enemies. 



This victory, which was not obtained without 

 great loss by the victors, was celebrated for three 

 days in succession in Santiago, and in the other 

 Spanish settlements, with all those demonstrations 

 of joy customary upon occasions of the greatest suc- 

 cess. The Spaniards felicitated themselves on being 

 at last freed from an enemy, who at the early age of 

 nineteen had already obtained so many victories over 

 their nation, and who possessed talents capable of 

 YÔL. m . T 



