his which follows. The war of freedom of the Araucan Indians
is the most gallant episode in the history of the New World. The
Spaniards themselves were not behindhand in acknowledging the chivalry
before which they quailed, and, after many years of ineffectual efforts,
they gave up a conflict which they never afterwards resumed; leaving the
Araucans alone, of all the American races with which they came in
contact, a liberty which they were unable to tear from them. It is a
subject for an epic poem; and whatever admiration is due to the heroism
of a brave people whom no inequality of strength could appal and no
defeats could crush, these poor Indians have a right to demand of us.
The story of the war was well known in Europe; Hawkins, in coasting the
western shores of South America, fell in with them, and the finest
passage in his book is the relation of one of the incidents of the
war:--

An Indian captain was taken prisoner by the Spaniards, and for that
he was of name, and known to have done his devoir against them, they
cut off his hands, thereby intending to disenable him to fight any
more against them. But he, returning home, desirous to revenge this
injury, to maintain his liberty, with the reputation of his nation,
and to help to banish the Spaniard, with his tongue intreated and
incited them to persevere in their accustomed valour and reputation,
abasing the enemy and advancing his nation; condemning their
contraries of cowardliness, and confirming it by the cruelty used
with him and other his companions in their mishaps; showing them his
arms without hands, and naming his brethren whose half feet they had
cut off, because they might be unable to sit on horseback; with
force arguing that if they feared them not, they would not have used
so great inhumanity--for fear produceth cruelty, the companion of
cowardice. Thus encouraged he them to fight for their lives, limbs,
and liberty, choosing rather to die an honourable death fighting,
than to live in servitude as fruitless members of the commonwealth.
Thus using the office of a sergeant-major, and having loaden his two
stumps with bundles of arrows, he succoured them who, in the
succeeding battle had their store wasted; and changing himself from
place to place, animated and encouraged his countrymen with such
comfortable persuasions, as it is reported and credibly believed,