the situation of Caupolican, but none
of them would discover the place of his retreat. On being informed of
this barbarous procedure, Caupolican sent notice by a messenger that he
was not far off, and meant to meet the Spaniards the next day. Don
Garcia and his army, being alarmed by this intelligence, passed the
whole night under arms, and accordingly the Araucanian army made its
appearance next morning at day-break, advancing in regular array in
three several lines. The Spanish cavalry made a furious charge upon the
front line, commanded by Caupolican in person, who made his pikemen
receive the charge with levelled spears, while the alternate
mace-bearers were directed to strike at the horses heads. By this
unexpected reception, the Spanish cavalry were obliged to retreat in
confusion; upon which the Araucanian general and his division broke into
the centre of the Spanish infantry with great slaughter, Caupolican
killing five of them with his own hand. Tucapel advanced with his
division in another quarter with equal success, and at the first attack
broke his lance in the body of a Spaniard, and then drawing his sword
slew seven others. He received several wounds at this time, yet seeing
the valiant Rencu, formerly his rival for the office of toqui,
surrounded by a crowd of enemies, he fell upon them with such fury that
he killed a considerable number of them, and rescued Rencu from imminent
danger. Victory, for a long time undecided, was on the point of
declaring for the Araucanians, as the Spaniards were ready to give way;
when Don Garcia gave orders to a body of reserve, hitherto unengaged, to
attack that division of the enemy which was commanded by Lincoyan and
Ongolmo. This order, which was executed with promptitude and success,
preserved the Spanish army from total destruction. This line or division
of the Araucanians being broken and routed, fell back tumultuously upon
the other two divisions, then nearly victorious, and threw them into
such inextricable confusion, that being utterly unable to restore his
troops to order, after repeated ineffectual efforts, Caupolican was
reluctantly constrained to sound a retreat, and yielded the victory to
his enemies which he had fondly imagined was already secured to himself.
In their retreat, the Araucanian army would have been utterly cut to
pieces, had not Rencu, by posting himself in a neighbouring wood with a
party of warriors whom he rallied, called off the attention of