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ducted them to the citadel. From thence he sallied 

 out with the most determined of them, and attacked 

 the enemy, whom he obliged to retire at day break. 

 The Araucanians had become much less scrupulous 

 than formerly in their mode of making war, for Ca- 

 deguala was not abandoned by any of his officers on 

 this occasion, as Gaupolican had been at Cañete in 

 his fraudful surprise of that city. 



Although this daring enterprise had not been ac- 

 companied with the success which the Araucanian 

 general expected, yet, far from being discouraged 

 by it, he undertook the siege of the fortress of Puren, 

 which from its interior situation appeared more easy 

 to be taken. He invested it regularly with four thou- 

 sand men in four divisions, under the command of 

 Guanalcoa, Caniotaru, Relmuantu, and Curilemu, 

 the most valiant officers of his army. The governor, 

 on receiving information of the danger of the place, 

 hastened to relieve it with a strong reinforcement, 

 but Cadeguala advanced to meet him with a hun- 

 dred and fifty lances, and opposed him with such 

 vigour^ that after a long combat, in which several 

 were killed, he compelled him to retreat. 



Elated with this success, he proposed to the be- 

 sieged, either to allow them to retire upon parole, or 

 enter his service. These terms, which he pretended 

 to consider as advantageous, were rejected with dis- 

 dain* One person alone, called Juan Tapia, availed 

 himself of the proffer, and went over to the Arau- 

 canians, by whom he was well received, and advanc- 

 ed in their army. This plan proving abortive, Cade^ 

 guala determined to shorten the siege by a decisive 



