218 



as he thought himself in a place of security, retain* 

 ing with him, besides his own family, only sixty 

 half-pay officers and three Franciscan friars. Pail- 

 lamachu, who had secretly watched his motions, 

 and followed him with two hundred soldiers, con- 

 ceived this a ñivourable opportunity to put his de- 

 signs in execution. Accordingly fmding. him en- 

 camped in the pleasant valley of Caralava, he fell 

 upon him, while he was asleep on the night of the 

 22d of November 1598, and killed him with all 

 his retinue. It would seem that the Araucanian 

 general had formed confident hopes of the success 

 of this bold enterprise, since, in consequence of his 

 previous instructions, in less than forty -eight hours 

 after this event, not only the Araucanian provinces 

 but those of the Cunchese and Huilliches were in 

 arms, and the whole of the country to the Archipe- 

 lago of Chiloé. Every Spaniard who had the mis- 

 fortune of being found without the garrisons w^as 

 put to death; and the cities of Osorno, Valdivia, Vil- 

 larica, Imperial, Cañete, Angol, Coya, and the for- 

 tress of Arauco, were all at once invested with a 

 close siege. Not content with this, Paillamachu, 

 without lo&s of time, crossed the Bio-bio, burned the 

 cities of Conception and Chilian, laid waste the 

 provinces in their dependence, and returned loaded 

 with spoil to his country. 



On the first receipt of this melancholy news at the 

 capital, the inhabitants, filled with consternation, 

 abandoned themselves to despair, and agreed with 

 one voice to quit the country and retire to Peru. 

 As they had, however, some confidence in Pedro 



