ieces of artillery which played incessantly from the
front of the enemy. But when they came within reach of the musquetry,
they were quite unable to resist the close and well directed fire
continually kept up by the veteran troops of Peru. After many
ineffectual attempts to close in with the Spaniards, and losing a vast
number of their bravest warriors, they fell into confusion from the
vacancies in their ranks, and began to give ground. By a well timed
charge, the cavalry put them completely to the rout, and made a
prodigious slaughter among them in their flight to the woods.

Either from innate cruelty of disposition, or on mistaken principles of
policy, Don Garcia pursued the most rigorous measures against the enemy.
Contrary to the opinion and advice of most of his officers, he was the
first who introduced the barbarous practice of mutilating and putting to
death the prisoners; a system which may intimidate and restrain a base
people accustomed to servitude, but cruelty is detestable in the
estimation of a generous nation, and serves only to exasperate and
render them irreconcileable[72]. Among the prisoners taken on this
occasion was one named Galvarino, whose hands were cut off by order of
Don Garcia, and was then set free. He returned to his countrymen, to
whom he displayed his bloody and mutilated stumps, which so inflamed
them with rage against the Spaniards, that they all swore never to make
peace with them, and even denounced the punishment of death against any
one who should have the baseness to propose such a measure. Even the
women, excited by desire of revenge, offered to take up arms and fight
along with their husbands, which was actually done by many of them in
the subsequent battles. From thence originated the fable of Amazons in
Chili, placed by some authors in the southern districts of that country.

[Footnote 72: In a note of the original translation, it is said that
"the Indian allies of the Spaniards cut off the calves from the
Araucanian prisoners, which they roasted and eat. And, by means of
certain leaves applied to the wounds, prevented the effusion of a single
drop of blood."--E.]

After the victory, Don Garcia proceeded with his army into the province
of Arauco, constantly harassed by flying detachments of the enemy, who
never ceased doing them every possible injury. On his arrival at
Melipuru[73], Don Garcia caused several native prisoners to be tortured,
in order to obtain information of