67 



The Indian General, perceiving that all attempts to conceal his 

 quality are ineffectual, desires a conference with the Spanish Cap- 

 tain Reynoso. 



CANTO XXXIV. 



. CAUPOLICAN entreats Reynoso to grant his life, but without 

 any signs of terror. He affirms it v/ill be the only method of ap- 

 peasing the sanguinary hatred by which the contending nations are 

 inflamed; and he offers, from his great influence over his country, 

 to introduce the Christian worship, and to bring the Araucanians 

 to consider themselves as the subjects of the Spanish Monarch. í iis 

 proposals are rejected, and he is sentenced to be impaled, and shot 

 to death with arrows. He is unappall'd by this decree ; but first 

 desires to be publickly baptized : after which ceremony, he is in- 

 humanly led in chains to a scaffold. He displays a calm contempt 

 of death ; but, on seeing a wretched Negro appointed his execu- 

 tioner, his indignation bursts forth, and he hurls the Negro from the 

 scaffold, entreating to die by a more honourable hand. His horrid 

 sentence is however executed. He supports the agonies of the 

 stake with patient intrepidity, till a chosen band of archers put a 

 period to his life. 



The brave Ercilla expresses his abhorrence of this atrocious 

 scene ; and adds, that if he had been present, this cruel execution 

 should not have taken place. 



The consequence of it was such as Caupolican foretold : — the 

 Araucanians determine to'revenge his death, and assemble to elect 

 a new General. The Poet makes an abrupt transition from their 

 debate, to relate the adventures of Don Garcia, with whom he was 

 himself marching to explore new regions. The inliabitants of the 

 districts they invade, alarmed at the approach of the Spaniards, 

 consult on the occasion. An Indian, named Tunconabala, who 

 had served under the Araucanians, addresses the assembly, and 

 recommends to them a mode of eluding the supposed avaricious 

 designs of the Spaniards, by sending messengers to them, who 

 should assume an appearance of extreme poverty, and represent 

 their country as barren, and thus induce the invaders to turn their 

 arms towards a different quarter. He offers to engage in this ser- 

 vice himself. The Indians adopt the project he recommends, and 

 remove their valuable effects to the interior parts of their country. 



