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called Galverîno^whose hands Don Garcia ordered 

 to be cut OÍF. lie returned to his countrymen, and 

 showing his bloody mutilated stumps, inflamed 

 them with such fury against the Spaniards, that 

 they all swore never to make peace with them, and 

 to put to death any one who should have. the base- 

 ness to propose such a measure. Even the very 

 w^omen, excited by a desire of revenge, offered to 

 take arms and to fight by the side of their husbands, 

 as they did in the subsequent battles. From hence 

 originated the fable of the Chilian Amazons, placed 

 by some authors in the southern districts of that 

 country. 



The victorious army penetrated into the provine© 

 of Arauco, constantly harassed by the flying camps 

 of the Araucanians, who left them not a moment's 

 rest. Don Garcia, when he arrived at Melipuru, 

 put to the torture several of the natives whom his 

 soldiers had taken, in order to obtain information of 

 Caupolican, but notwithstanding the severity of 

 their torments, none of them would ever discover 

 the place of his retreat. The Araucanian general, 

 on being informed of this barbarous conduct, sent 

 word to him by a messenger, that he was but a short 

 distance, and would come to meet him the follow- 

 ing day. The Spaniards, who could not conceive 

 the motive of the message, were alarmed, and pass- 

 ed the whole night under arms. 



At day break Caupolican appeared with his army 

 arranged in three lines. The Spanish cavalry charg- 

 ed with fury the first line, commanded by Caupo- 

 lican in person, who gave orders to his pikemen to 



