ecessary in the first place to restore
his women, which could be done with safety by obtaining in the first
place a safe conduct from the toqui, and undertook to manage the
business. He accordingly departed from Arauco for Ilicura, accompanied
by three missionaries, one of whom was Horatio Vecchio, the cousin of
Pope Alexander VII. The exasperated toqui no sooner learnt the arrival
of the missionaries at Ilicura, than he hastened to that place with two
hundred horse, and slew them all with their defender Utiflame. Thus were
all the plans of pacification rendered abortive, though Valdivia used
repeated attempts to revive the negociation. All his schemes were
disconcerted by the contrivances of the officers and soldiers, who were
interested in the continuance of the war, and loudly demanded that
vengeance should be taken for the blood of the slaughtered priests.
Notwithstanding his anxious desire for peace and the pious intentions of
the king, the governor found himself compelled to prosecute the war,
which was renewed with more fury than ever. Ancanamon the toqui, being
eager to revenge the affront he had received in regard to his women,
incessantly harassed the southern provinces of Spanish Chili, and his
successor Loncothegua continued hostilities with equal obstinacy; but
only very imperfect accounts of this period of the war have been given
by the contemporary historians. The governor Rivera died at Conception
in 1617, having appointed as his successor Fernando Talaverano the
senior oydor of the royal court; who was succeeded ten months afterwards
by Lope de Ulloa.

The toqui Loncothegua resigned in 1618, and was succeeded in the supreme
command of the Araucanian armies by an officer named Lientur, whose
military expeditions were always so rapid and unexpected, that the
Spaniards used to call him the wizard. All his designs were perfectly
seconded by Levipillan, his vice toqui. Though the line of the Biobio
was amply secured by fortresses and centinels, these indefatigable
enemies always contrived to pass and repass without experiencing any
material loss. The first enterprise of Lientur was the capture of a
convoy of four hundred horses, which were intended to remount the
Spanish cavalry. He next ravaged the province of Chilian, and slew the
corregidor with two of his sons and several of the magistrates, who had
attempted to resist him in the field. Five days afterwards, he proceeded
towards St. Philip of Austria, ot