uth
of Chili. Whereever Benavides came, his footsteps were marked with
blood, and the old men, the women, and the children, were butchered lest
they should give notice of his motions.

When he had rendered himself formidable by land, he resolved to be
equally powerful upon the sea. He equipped a corsair, with instructions
to capture the vessels of all nations; and as Araucan is directly
opposite the island of Santa Maria, where vessels put in for
refreshment, after having doubled Cape Horn, his situation was well
adapted for his purpose. He was but too successful. The first of his
prizes was the American ship Hero, which he took by surprise in the
night; the second, was the Herculia, a brig belonging to the same
country. While the unconscious crew were proceeding, as usual, to catch
seals on this island, lying about three leagues from the main land of
Arauca, an armed body of men rushed from the woods, and overpowering
them, tied their hands behind them, and left them under a guard on the
beach. These were no other than the pirates, who now took the Herculia's
own boats, and going on board, surprised the captain and four of his
crew, who had remained to take care of the brig; and having brought off
the prisoners from the beach, threw them all into the hold, closing the
hatches over them. They then tripped the vessel's anchor, and sailing
over in triumph to Arauca, were received by Benavides, with a salute of
musketry fired under the Spanish flag, which it was their chief's
pleasure to hoist on that day. In the course of the next night,
Benavides ordered the captain and his crew to be removed to a house on
shore, at some distance from the town; then taking them out, one by one,
he stripped and pillaged them of all they possessed, threatening them
the whole time with drawn swords and loaded muskets. Next morning he
paid the prisoners a visit and ordered them to the capital, called
together the principal people of the town, and desired each to select
one as a servant. The captain and four others not happening to please
the fancy of any one, Benavides, after saying he would himself take
charge of the captain, gave directions, on pain of instant death, that
some one should hold themselves responsible for the other prisoners.
Some days after this they were called together, and required to serve as
soldiers in the pirates army; an order to which they consented, knowing
well by what they had already seen, that the consequence o