44 



Till earth confess the brave Lautaro's hand 

 Has clos'd the glorious work his spirit plann'd. 

 In these resolves the Hero found relief, 

 And thus relax'd the o'erstrain'd cord of grief ; 

 Whose pressure gall'd him with such mental pain, 

 That frenzy almost seiz'd his burning brain. 



Lautaro continues his march into an Indian district, from which 

 he collects a small increase of force ; and, after addressing his 

 soldiers concerning the expediency of strict military discipline, and 

 the cause of their late ill success, he turns again towards the city 

 of St. Jago: but, receiving intelligence on his road of its prepara- 

 tions for defence, he again suspends his design, and fortifies a post, 

 which he c^^uses with the hope of collecting still greater numbers 

 to assist him in his projected enterprize. The Spaniards at St. 

 Jago are eager to sally in quest of Lautaro, but their commander 

 Viliagran Wfis absent on an expedition to the city of Imperial. In 

 returning from thence he passes near the post of Lautaro. An 

 Indian ally acquaints him with its situation, and, at the earnest re- 

 quest of the Spanish officer* agrees to conduct him, by a short 

 though difficult road, over a mountain, to attack the fort by sur- 

 prize. The Poet suspends his narration of this interesting event, 

 to relate the arrival of the Marquis de Cañete as Viceroy 

 in Peru, and the spirited manner in which he corrected the abuses 

 of that country. 



CANTO xm. 



SPANISH deputies from the province of Chili implore assistance 

 from the new Viceroy of Peru : he sends them a considerable suc- 

 cour, under the conduct of Don Garcia, his son. The Poet is him- 

 self of this band, and relates the splendid preparations for the en- 

 terprize, and the embarcation of the troops in ten vessels, which 

 sail from Lima towards the coast of Chili. Having described part 

 of this voyage, he returns to the bold exploit of Viliagran, and the 

 adventures of Lautaro, the most interesting of all the Araucanian 

 Heroes, whom he left securinghimself in his sequestered fort. 



A path where watchful centinels were spread, 

 A single path, to this lone station led : 



