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session of Mount Pinto, which commands the har- 

 bour, where he constructed a fort furnished with 

 a large number of cannon and a deep ditch. 



The Auraucanian spies failed not to give im- 

 mediate information to Caupolican of what had taken 

 place. That general, hastily collecting his troops, 

 passed the Bio-bio on the 9th of the same month, and 

 on the next morning at day break, a period remarka- 

 ble in Europe for the defeat of the French at St. Quin- 

 tín, he attacked the fortress upon three sides, having 

 sent forward a body of pioneers to fill up the ditch 

 with fascines and trunks of trees. The attack was 

 continued with all the fury and obstinacy so natural 

 to that people. Numbers mounted on the parapet, 

 and some even leapt within the walls, destroying all 

 that they met with. But the cannon and the mus- 

 ketry directed by skilful hands, made so dreadful 

 a slaughter that the ditch was filled with dead 

 bodies, which served for bridges to the new com- 

 batants who fearlessly replaced their slain com- 

 panions. Tucapel, hurried on by his unparalleled 

 rashness, threw himself into the fort, and, killing 

 four of his enemies with his formidable mace, es- 

 caped by leaping over a precipice amidst a shower 

 of balls. 



Whilst the combat raged with such fury around 

 the fortress, the Spaniards who were in the island, 

 perceiving the danger of the besieged, came over 

 to their aid, and formed themselves in order of 

 battle. Caupolican observing the disembarkation, 

 sent immediately a part of his troops against them. 

 These, after a severe conflict pf several hours, were 



