V 
CAPTIVE INTI A NS 
107 
and allowed his own eye to be forced out sooner than relinquish 
his hold. Another, who was wounded, feigned death, keeping a 
knife ready to strike one more fatal blow. My informer said, 
when he was pursuing an Indian, the man cried out for mercy, 
at the same time that he was covertly loosing the bolas from 
his waist, meaning to whirl it round his head and so strike his 
pursuer. “ I however struck him with my sabre to the ground, 
and then got off my horse, and cut his throat with my knife.” 
This is a dark picture ; but how much more shocking is the 
unquestionable fact, that all the women who appear above twenty 
years old are massacred in cold blood ? When I exclaimed 
that this appeared rather inhuman, he answered, “Why, what 
can be done ? they breed so ! ” 
Every one here is fully convinced that this is the most just 
war, because it is against barbarians. Who would believe in 
this a^e that such atrocities could be committed in a Christian 
civilised country ? The children of the Indians are saved, 
to be sold or given away as servants, or rather slaves for 
as long a time as the owners can make them believe themselves 
slaves ; but I believe in their treatment there is little to com¬ 
plain of. 
In the battle four men ran away together. They were 
pursued, one was killed, and the other three were taken alive. 
They turned out to be messengers or ambassadors from a large 
body of Indians, united in the common cause of defence, near 
the Cordillera. The tribe to which they had been sent was on 
the point of holding a grand council ; the feast of mare’s flesh 
was ready, and the dance prepared : in the morning the ambas¬ 
sadors were to have returned to the Cordillera. They were 
remarkably fine men, very fair, above six feet high, and all 
under thirty years of age. The three survivors of course pos¬ 
sessed very valuable information ; and to extort this they were 
placed in a line. The two first being questioned, answered, 
“No se ” (I do not know), and were one after the other shot. 
The third also said, “ No se adding, “ Fire, I am a man, and 
can die ! ” Not one syllable would they breathe to injure the 
united cause of their country ! The conduct of the above- 
mentioned cacique was very different ; he saved his life by 
betraying the intended plan of warfare, and the point of union 
in the Andes. It was believed that there were already six or 
