The republic of Chile, the growth, resources, and industrial conditions of a great nation

Chapter XXXI Picturesque Survivors Of A Vanishing Race 437

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PAGE

MEETING OF THE CHIEFS OF A HACIENDA 237

FIESTA ON THE HACIENDA 239

A FEAST OF “ MOTE” 239

ARRIVALS AT A HACIENDA FOR SUNDAY FESTIVITIES 240

TYPES OF THE CHILEAN GUASO 241

GETTING READY FOR MARKET 242

VINEYARD OF SENOR URMENETA, PANQUEHUE ■ . 244 PICTURE GALLERY AT PANQUEHUE ERRAZURIZ . . 245

RAISIN VINEYARD IN THE ELQUI VALLEY 247

COUNTRY HOUSE OF SENORA SUBERCASEAUX DE

CONCHA 248

WINE CELLAR AT PANQUEHUE 249

RESIDENCE OF SENOR DON ADOLFO EASTMAN,

LIMACHE 250

VINEYARD AT MACUL 251

GARDEN AT PIRQUE 252

WHERE THE FAMOUS “ ESCORIAL ” IS STORED . . 254 LOADING ICE AT CHILLAN MINERAL SPRINGS ... 256

BRIDLE PATH AT THE BATHS OF CHILLAN 257

EN ROUTE TO THE BATHS OF CHILLAN 259

CACHAPOAL RIVER, NEAR BATHS OF CAUQUENES . 261 GENERAL VIEW OF THE BATHS OF CAUQUENES . . 263 HOTEL VERANDA AT BATHS OF CAUQUENES .... 264

THE BATHS OF CHILLAN IN THE ANDES 265

A GLIMPSE OF THE PACIFIC 266

LOADING CALICHE IN THE NITRATE FIELDS ... 268 UNLOADING CALICHE INTO CRUSHING MACHINES • 269 ESTABLISHMENT FOR ELABORATION OF NITRATE OF

SODA 271

INCLINE RAILWAY AT .JUNIN 273

NITRATE READY FOR SHIPMENT 274

PRINCIPAL PLAZA AT IQUIQUE 275

NITRATE SHIPS IN THE PORT OF IQUIQUE 277

CALETA BUENA, A SEAPORT OF THE DESERT ... 278

IQUIQUE, FROM THE HARBOR 279

ADMINISTRATION HOUSE, NITRATE FIELDS OF AGUA

SANTA 280

GENERAL VIEW OF PISAGUA 281

TRAIN LOADED WITH NITRATE OF SODA 282

QUILLOTA, WITH A VIEW OF THE VALLEY 284

STATUE OF JUAN MARTINEZ DE ROZAS, CONCEPCION 285

PUERTO MONTT, CHILOE ARCHIPELAGO 286

COQUIMBO, CHIEF SHIPPING PORT FOR COPPER . 287 HOTEL HARAN, CONCEPCION, SHOWING ARCADE . . 288

TALCA 289

CONSTITUCION, CENTRAL CHILE 290

TALCAHUANO 291

A HOLIDAY ON THE PIER, VALDIVIA 292

VALDIVIA, ON THE RIVER CALLE-CALLE 293

ENTRANCE TO THE PRINCIPAL PLAZA, LOS ANDES 294

OSORNO, SOUTHERN CHILE 295

A PORT IN THE MAGELLAN TERRITORY 296

PAGE

GUIDES PREPARING RELAY OF HORSES AND MULES 298 STATUE OF CHRIST, SUMMIT OF THE ANDES . • 299

VIEW OF ACONCAGUA PEAK 301

A V1LLALONGA GUIDE ACROSS THE ANDES 302

ONE OF THE HIGHEST PEAKS OF THE ANDES 303

IN THE VALLEY OF THE MAIPO 304

THE VALLEY OF DESOLATION 305

THE LAGUNA NEGRA 306

CATTLE ARRIVING OVER PEAKS OF MAIPO PASS 307 JUNCAL, ON CHILEAN SIDE OF USPALLATA .308

LLAMAS, THE CAMELS OF THE CORDILLERAS 309

ROAD DOWN THE MOUNTAIN FROM USPALLATA ■ 310 TOLORSA BEND, SHOWING MOUNTAIN ROAD- - 3 1 1

THE BLACK SNOWS OF THE COLINA PASS 312

NEAR THE SUMMIT OF USPALLATA PASS 313

REFUGE HUT FOR STORMBOUND TRAVELLERS . • 314

DRESS PARADE IN THE PLAZA AT LOTA 316

STATUE OF CAUPOLICAN. BY NICANOR PLAZA . . 317

COUSINO PALACE AT LOTA PARK 318

THE ISLAND OF LOTA 319

BAY OF LOTA FROM THE PARK 321

ENTRANCE TO LOTA PARK 322

VIEW OF THE PARK AT LOTA 323

FLOWER GARDEN, COUSINO PALACE 324

PUBLIC SCHOOL AND CHURCH AT LOTA 325

HOSPITAL AT LOTA 326

FURNACES FOR MAKING STEEL, LOTA 328

CANAL, MADRE DE DIOS MINE, VALDIVIA 329

WHARF BETWEEN LOTA MAINLAND AND ISLOTA - 331

VIEW OF LOTA MINING WORKS 333

MOUTH OF SHAFT, CARLOS MINE, LOTA 335

BOTTOM OF SHAFT, CARLOS MINE, LOTA 335

COAL MINES OF COLICO, SOUTHERN CHILE ... 337

VALLEY OF CHIVILINGO, LEBU 338

COPPER MINES OF HUINQUINTIPA, TARAPACA . . 339

GUARD FOR GOLD, MADRE DE DIOS MINE . . 340

DRYDOCK AT TALCAHUANO 342

OFFICES OF THE P. S. N. COMPANY, VALPARAISO • 343 BELLA VISTA RAILWAY STATION, VALPARAISO . . . 345

THE MOLE AT VALPARAISO 346

CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION, SANTIAGO 347

RAILWAY DEPOT AT TALCA 348

CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION AT CONCEPCION 349

BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER MAULE 350

TRANSANDINE RAILWAY ON ACONCAGUA RIVER BANK 351

ENTRANCE TO THE MAULE BRIDGE 352

TUNNEL AT SALTO DEL SOLDADO, TRANSANDINE

RAILWAY 353

RAILWAY VIADUCT CROSSING MALLECO RIVER . . 354 LOADING CATTLE ON A PACIFIC COAST STEAAJER . 355 P. S. N. CO. STEAMER BOUND FROM VALPARAISO TO

PANAMA 356

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MARKET SCENE IN SANTIAGO 358

PERMANENT EXPOSITION BUILDING, QUINTA NOR- MAL, SANTIAGO 359

POTATO VENDERS 360

WINTER GARDEN OF QUINTA NORMAL 361

A PICTURESQUE PROMENADE, QUINTA NORMAL . . 362

THE WEEKLY FAIR IN CHILLAN 363

VIEW OF PARK AT QUINTA NORMAL 364

A ROUND-UP NEAR OSORNO 365

GROUNDS OF THE QUINTA NORMAL 366

DRYING RAISINS IN THE ELQUI VALLEY 367

A FARM IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY 368

TRANSPORTING RAISINS FROM THE ELQUI VINE- YARDS TO COQUIMBO FOR SHIPMENT 369

THE MALLECO VALLEY 370

PALM TREE AT SALTO, NEAR VINA DEL MAR ... 371

AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL, CHILLAN 372

STRAIT OF MAGELLAN 374

FROZEN FALLS IN THE CAVE OF ULTIMA ESPERANZA 375 PUERTO CONSUELO, TERRITORY OF MAGELLAN . 377

SCENE IN CHILEAN PATAGONIA 379

CAVE OF THE MYLODON, ULTIMA ESPERANZA, TER- RITORY OF MAGELLAN 380

SALYTH CHANNEL, PATAGONIAN ARCHIPELAGO • ■ ■ 381 CASCADE NEAR CAVE OF ULTIA3A ESPERANZA ... 382

ULTIMA ESPERANZA, “ THE LAST HOPE” 383

REMAINS OF MYLODON FOUND IN ULTIMA ESPE- RANZA CAVE 384

CAPE FROWARD, SOUTHERNMOST POINT OF AMER- ICAN CONTINENT 384

BEAGLE CHANNEL, TIERRA DEL FUEGO ARCHI- PELAGO 385

INDIANS OF THE ONA TRIBE 386

PUNTA ARENAS, THE SOUTHERNMOST CITY OF THE

WORLD 388

SENOR DON CARLOS BORIES, EX-GOVERNOR OF

MAGELLAN TERRITORY 389

RESIDENCE OF SENOR DON JOSE MENENDEZ • • 390

RESIDENCE OF SENOR HERNANDO ADRIASOLA . . 391

SCENE IN THE FUEGIAN ARCHIPELAGO 392

GOVERNMENT HOUSE, PUNTA ARENAS 393

RESIDENCE OF SENORA BRAUN DE VALENZUELA • 394

ROUND-UP OF CATTLE IN TIERRA DEL FUEGO 395

SHEEP RANCH OF SAN GREGORIO 396

LANDING PLACE, PUNTA ARENAS 397

ROCK CASTLE, CAVE OF ULTIMA ESPERANZA 399

HABERTON CHANNEL, TIERRA DEL FUEGO • . . 401

SEAL POCK, TIERRA DEL FUEGO 402

BELLA VISTA CLOTH FACTORY AT TOME, ON TAL-

CAHUANO BAY 404

SENOR DON ALBERTO BEHRENS, PIONEER SHIP- BUILDER OF CHILE 405

PAGE

SUGAR FACTORY AT PENCO, NEAR CONCEPCION • 407

BOTTLE FACTORY, LOTA 409

LAKE NAHUELHUAPI, NEAR PUERTO MONTT ... 410

COLONISTS HARVESTING ALFALFA 41 1

COLONIST’S HUT AT PUERTO DOMINGUEZ, BUDI ■ ■ 412

ANWANDTER BREWERY, VALDIVIA 413

WASHERWOMEN AT WORK IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF

TEMUCO 414

A PLEASURE BOAT ON THE CALLE-CALLE, VALDIVIA 415

PUERTO VARAS, ON LAKE LLANQUIHUE 415

A CHILEAN COBBLER AT WORK 417

HOT SPRINGS IN THE ANDES 418

LANDING PLACE AT JUAN FERNANDEZ, SHOWING

YUNQUE MOUNTAIN IN THE DISTANCE 420

MEMORIAL TABLET TO ALEXANDER SELKIRK ... 421 DEPARTURE OF STEAMER FROM JUAN FERNANDEZ

FOR VALPARAISO 423

FERNS ON THE ISLAND OF JUAN FERNANDEZ ■ • • 425

PANQUE PLANTS ON JUAN FERNANDEZ 425

UNDER THE CLIFFS, JUAN FERNANDEZ 427

LA VAQUERIA, BLUFF AND WATERFALL, JUAN FER- NANDEZ 427

“ SELKIRK’S OUTLOOK,” JUAN FERNANDEZ .... 429

CARVAJAL BAY, JUAN FERNANDEZ 429

THE PORT OF JUAN FERNANDEZ 431

CAVE DWELLINGS ON EASTER ISLAND 432

GIANT IDOL ON EASTER ISLAND 433

EASTER ISLAND, SHOWING PARTIALLY EXCAVATED

IDOLS OF ANTIQUITY 434

SHEEP RANCH ON EASTER ISLAND 434

ARAUCANIAN WOMEN WEAVING THE PONCHO ... 436 COSTUME OF A CACIQUE’S DAUGHTER, ORNAMENTS

OF SILVER MADE BY INDIANS 437

INTERIOR OF A RUCA. TYPICAL DOMESTIC SCENE 439 AN EQUESTRIAN OF THE PATAGONIAN REGION ... 440

A HAPPY ARAUCANIAN FAMILY 440

THE THREE GRACES OF ARAUCANIA 441

THE ARAUCANIAN BABY’S DINNER HOUR 442

INDIAN RUCA IN THE ARAUCANIAN REGION .... 443 HIEROGLYPHICS ON A ROCK IN THE ARAUCANIAN

COUNTRY 444

ARAUCANIAN CEMETERY 444

ARAUCANIAN HAIRDRESSING 445

PRIMITIVE SPINNING 44r>

SON OF AN ARAUCANIAN CHIEF 446

A COUNCIL OF ARAUCANIAN PHILOSOPHERS ... 447 ARAUCANIAN CACIQUE WITH HIS TWO FAVORITE

WIVES 447

ONA INDIAN, TIERRA DEL FUEGO 448

PATAGONIAN INDIAN CHIEFS 449

COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL OF THE WAR WITH PERU

AND BOLIVIA 450

Introduction

IVE years of travel in South America, including journeys from the upper Amazon to the channels of Tierra del Fuego, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific — three times across the great Andean range — impress me with more than a traveller’s interest in these countries. In Chile, where two years of serious study were spent under the most agreeable circumstances, in the midst of a people whose hospitality is as generous as its courage is renowned, I was the recipient of every attention which thoughtfulness could suggest and kindness bestow, and it is not strange if the friendships formed during that pleasant time have made doubly dear my recollections.

The present work has been written from the standpoint of one who was permitted to see and study the social life and character of the people, not as an outsider, but as a friend, and I have endeavored to show no partiality in the treatment of my subject. It has been my main object to give a fair and adequate idea of the existing conditions and future outlook of the Republic of Chile. I have felt constant regret that in giving more particular attention to the modern history, I have been obliged to pass over with only a brief summary the annals of the nation’s glorious past, full of records of bravery and incidents of patriotic pride, which it is impossible to read without enthusiastic admiration. The same characteristics which have made the Chilean people strong in the defence of national rights have given them the energy and enterprising spirit necessary to achieve commercial and industrial supremacy, and there is no country of South America in which general progress has been more substantial and continued and foreign relations more satisfactorily maintained. In intellectual culture the Chileans have established their place among the more advanced nations, and their scientists, painters, and sculptors have won fame in the highest circles of Europe and America.

The outlook is particularly favorable for the prosperity and progress of the republic during the present century, when the world of commerce is directing more attention than ever to the Pacific ports. Literature on the subject of this interesting country is scarce, the

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INTRODUCTION libraries, especially those of the United States, containing few books of any importance published within recent years which give more than a general description of its attractive features. It is to be regretted that so little is known of a land which is fascinating in a thousand ways. The scenery alone is worth a visit to its shores, presenting magnificent attractions to the traveller, who may find, in the grandeur of the Andean summits and the picturesque charm of Smyth Channel and the Strait of Magellan, beauty of nature unsurpassed by anything the Old World has to offer.

In completing the third book of my series of South American works, it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the valuable assistance which has been rendered by the various departments of the Chilean government, in securing data and statistics relative to the national finances and industrial development, and for these courtesies I sincerely thank His Excellency President German Riesco, and the ministers of his Cabinet. In the preparation of the historical sketch in the opening chapter I have consulted the works of the eminent historian Senor Don Diego Barros Arana, the greatest living authority on Chilean history; and to the delightful pages of the lamented authors, Benjamin Vicuna Mackenna and Miguel Amunategui, whose studies of their national archives resulted in many valued contributions to historical literature, I am indebted for much important data.

M. R. W.

Philadelphia, December 25, 1904.

Chapter I T1

'HE cradle of a race of heroes, Chile claims renown, from the very dawn of her history, as a land of freedom.

The primitive children of her forests were giants of valor, and the story of their patriotic bravery, as related in song and engraven in marble, is one to win the admiration of the world. The Chileans of to-day have the same liberty-loving spirit that was the ruling guide of their predecessors, the Araucanians. They are a proud and patriotic people, whose courage and independence have ever inspired them to deeds of glory that shed lustre on the national annals and reveal in bold relief the unconquerable spirit of a noble race. Possessing characteristics that recall the heroes of the Qesars’ empire, the Chileans have been called “ the Romans of the New World.” Chile has been honored above all other South American countries in the brilliant record of her patriotic victories.

It was in Chile that the arrogance of Spanish conquest received its most humiliating check, when the brave and resolute Araucanians proved more than a match for the trained armies of the proudest monarchy of Europe, and a savage people was able to maintain its independence in the face of the continued efforts of centuries to reduce it to vassalage. It was the Chilean people that armed the first corsairs against the Spanish flag in South America, and closed the mouth of the Strait of Magellan against the last Spanish convoy. It was in Chile that Spanish dominion in America suffered the decisive blow that determined its downfall, when, on the battlefield of Chacabuco, independence was won,

MONTT AND VARAS MONUMENT, SANTIAGO.

i8 to be followed by victory after victory throughout the Spanish-American possessions until not a foot of soil remained to the Spanish crown of all the vast empire in the western world.

It was from the Chilean squadron that the last cannonades were fired in the war of independence. Is it any wonder that Chile is proud of her splendid navy and her efficient army? They have never failed to cover her flag with glory!

The story of the discovery of Chile brings into prominence that well-known type of the Spanish adventurer depicted in the characters of Cortes and Pizarro, — the type that won for Spain her rich foreign possessions as well as her reputation for ruthless avarice, — and with whose disappearance from the pages of history began the period of her national decline.

Diego de Almagro, the companion of Cortes in Mexico, and afterward associated with Pizarro in the conquest of Peru, dissatisfied with his meagre share in the glory and wealth that had come as a reward to his companions, decided to lead an independent expedition of discovery to the southward of Peru, where, he was told by the Incas, there was a vast territory richer in gold and silver than Peru, and easy of conquest. It is not difficult to understand the motive of the Indians in thus seeking to divert the attention of their conquerors to another field.

The march of Almagro and his army to Chile furnishes one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of Spanish-American discovery. It was a journey that has few parallels in military annals. Hannibal’s march over the Pyrenees and Napoleon’s campaign in Russia are instances of what the suffering and privation of an army may be under the severe conditions of intense cold and insufficient provisions. But in neither of these cases were the circumstances so extreme as in that of Almagro’s position, in a country totally unknown, with troops of Spanish noblemen impatient of restraint and unused to the severe discipline which the necessities demanded, and, worst of all, forced to march under the terrible fatigue of travel at an altitude where mere breathing is difficult, to say nothing of the suffering that follows the slightest exertion. Added to the bitter cold and piercing winds that sweep over the Andes, making the Uspallata route impassable in the winter months even to this day, Almagro’s men had to support the horrible agony of the puna, or mountain sickness, the most intense suffering imaginable, for which there is no relief except by descending to a lower altitude. “ The march of despair and death ” is the gruesome name given to this part of the journey by a chronicler of the time. The splendid troops which Almagro had brought out of Peru, and which from their magnificent appearance and distinction were called “ La tier de Indias,” arrived in Chile in a pitiable condition, crippled from frozen limbs, and miserable from lack of food and clothing. Hundreds of Indians, captured in the first days of the march, fell exhausted on the way, to become victims of the condors that hung over the unfortunate army like black omens of disaster, and rendered more horrible the distressing experience.

The expedition was a failure, but Almagro, undaunted by his reverses, with that unfailing optimism which was the keynote of his character, prepared to return to Peru to dispute with Pizarro the possession of Cuzco. There is something charmingly mediaeval in his consolatory speech to his soldiers before starting out on the return march: “Gentlemen, sons, brothers, and companions, 1 have observed your trouble on account of what you owe me; and as it has not been the divine will that in this expedition either you or I should prosper, let us give thanks to our Lord for all that He does, and let us submit to His will, since neither you nor 1 have failed in constant effort, nor have we anything to complain of in ourselves. I return content and rich in the assurance that you all know that if we had found much gold and great treasure, your captain-governor with the greatest pleasure and good will would have divided everything, and if he had kept anything it would have been

HOUSE OF CONGRESS.

to give it to you also. And as you know this, God is witness, and 1 tell you by my faith, that my intention never was, is not, and never will be, to ask you for what you owe me; that I have never thought to force you to pay the obligations you made to me; and if 1 ordered the papers you signed to be kept, it was only that, when you should become rich, 1 might give you, in addition to what God had bestowed, the papers that contained the statement of your indebtedness to me.” Tearing up the papers of each in turn, he added: “Do not think from this that I will fail to give you and my friends that which remains to me, for I have never wanted money or lands except to give them away.” The amount thus cancelled with princely courtesy is said to have been nearly fifty thousand pounds sterling. It is a sad commentary, which his biographer does not fail to elaborate, that Almagro died a violent death at Pizarro’s hands, and in his last hours suffered the humiliation of desertion by his followers.

Almagro’s successor in the conquest of Chile was Pedro de Valdivia, a Spanish captain who had fought under Pizarro in Peru, and who received, in recognition of his services, permission to undertake the task which Almagro had been forced to abandon. As a reward for the successful carrying out of this enterprise, he was to receive the title of Governor and Captain-general of Chile. The story of the elevation of this unimportant province to the dignity of a kingdom, a little later, when neither Mexico nor Peru could boast of greater distinction than that of mere viceroyalties, is related by the historian Rosales and is curiously interesting. When the emperor wished to marry his son Philip II. to Queen Mary of England, he was informed that, as she was a queen in her own right, her future husband must be a reigning king; and he forthwith caused Philip to be crowned “King of Chile,” the province thus becoming a royal domain.

Valdivia, profiting by the experience of Almagro, set out with his army for Chile by way of the Atacama desert instead of by the Cordillera route, and after a successful march through the north, which he subdued without great loss, he reached the Mapocho valley in December, i ^40. Here he resolved to found the first city, on a site favored by excellent conditions for defence, and having the advantages of a good climate and fertile surrounding country. On February 12, 1^41, he issued the proclamation naming the city “Santiago de la Nueva Estremadura” — “Santiago” in honor of Spain’s patron saint, and “Estremadura” after his native province. He tried to give the title of Nueva Estremadura to the whole of Chile, and ordered its use in official documents; but the popular name remained “Chile,” in spite of all efforts to change it.

The foundation of the city of Santiago, the present capital of Chile, at the foot of the hill, or cerro, of Santa Lucia, occupied the Spaniards but a short time. The little huts which they built of mud and thatched with straw were scarcely worthy of the name of habitations, and would compare poorly with the humblest Indian meet of to-day. In the public square, called then, as now, the “Plaza de Armas,” a small chapel was built, and a Cabildo, or municipal council, was installed in suitable quarters.

It was the purpose of Valdivia to extend his conquests far to the south, beyond the Bio- Bio River in the Araucanian country. And he set out at once to explore this territory, leaving Santiago under the protection of a small garrison of thirty cavalry and twenty infantry, in command of one of his captains, Alonso de Monroy.

The Indians took advantage of Valdivia’s absence to attack the city and destroy it, in revenge for the imprisonment of a number of their chiefs; and it was only by stratagem that the lives of the little garrison were saved. The attacking Indians numbered six thousand, and there were only fifty men and one woman, the valorous Doha Ines de Suarez, to resist them. Historians give to this warlike heroine the credit of saving the lives of all by her boldness. Convinced that the attack was made to liberate the imprisoned caciques, Doha Ines ordered them to be executed and their heads thrown into the midst of the attacking savages. While the horrorstricken Indians were gazing upon these awful trophies, the cavalry, with Doha Ines at its head, charged upon them. Surprised and bewildered at the sight of these strange creatures, half man and half beast, which they had never seen before, they fled in a panic.

The destruction of their city left the Spaniards without food or clothing, except a few wild fruits and vegetables. There was nothing to be taken from the Indians; for these stoic savages chose to starve themselves rather than plant a harvest for their enemies, and their lands remained untilled. As soon as Valdivia returned from the south, Monroy was sent to Peru for fresh supplies, the city was rebuilt, and the colonists began to cultivate the fields for the next harvest. Reinforcements came in the following year, and Valdivia was able to begin his campaign in the south. He extended his conquest as far as the Bio- Bio, but beyond this he could make no successful progress; he had reached the territory of the brave Araucanians, and the limit of Spanish conquest. Neither he nor his successors, notwithstanding their constant and persistent endeavors, during centuries of Spanish occupation of Chile, could advance into the Araucanian country as conquerors.

It is impossible not to feel a glow of admiration for those wonderful children of the forest, who resisted so strenuously and so successfully the approach of the invading enemy. Vivid in dramatic effect and rich in romantic coloring, this page out of the early history of America has a peculiar interest; it is not strange that Ercilla, the warrior-poet of the conquest, should have been inspired by it to write his immortal epic — that gem of American literature in the Spanish language — to commemorate the deeds and sing the praises of those savage heroes, whose wars with the white man are so full of glorious incident. Pedro de Valdivia wrote of them to his king: “I do give my word of honor, that in the thirty years that I have served your majesty and fought against many nations, 1 have never encountered such tenacious warriors as these Indians 1”

It Was in the beginning of the year i^o that Valdivia began his campaign of invasion in the Araucanian country. He founded the city of Concepcion, and within the next two years those of Imperial, Villa Rica, and Valdivia. He established himself with his army in Concepcion as the chief centre of his operations in the south.

Meanwhile, the Araucanians, swearing vengeance on the usurpers of their territory, celebrated a solemn council. The tribes in alliance determined to drive out the invader. A terrible battle took place at Concepcion, in which the Spaniards, with their superior arms and tactics, had every advantage over the simple savages, who rushed into their ranks without any system of attack and were cut down pitilessly. More than two thousand were killed and four hundred taken prisoners. The prisoners were mutilated, Valdivia commanding that their right hands and their noses should be cut off, and that they should be sent back to their tribes as a warning and a threat. But this evidence of vicious cruelty had a contrary effect. It roused the Indians to a fury of indignation; and another council of war was called, to devise a plan of revenge. It is at this time that there appears on the scene the young hero Lautaro, whose name, with that of the cacique Caupolican, is engraved on the tablets of history as worthy of immortal fame.

Lautaro had been a servant of Pedro de Valdivia, and had made good use of his opportunities to observe the methods of the Spaniards and to become familiar with their defects and vices. When he escaped from his Spanish master he was prepared, better than any of his tribe, to undertake the leadership of his people against them. He began by organizing the scattered tribes into a regular army, prepared to fight in divisions, according to well-ordered plans; he dispelled the superstitions of the Indians regarding the Spanish cavalry, and inspired them with courage by his own confident and resolute behavior. As a result of his leadership, their misfortunes were turned into triumphs, and the arms of Spain suffered one defeat after another. Valdivia himself was captured and put to death, with all the horrors of torture which his example had taught the Indians to employ. The Spanish army was driven from the field, and the city of Concepcion burned to the ground. Lautaro, possessing himself of the arms and accoutrements of Valdivia, began to assume a more aggressive aspect. He declared his bold intention of attacking the enemy’s stronghold in Santiago and driving the Spaniards forever out of Chile. He gave the order for the march northward amid a flourish of bombastic oratory. What a picturesque figure the young warrior must have made in the showy trappings of the Spaniard, brandishing his lance and recounting his deeds! — “I am Lautaro, who vanquished the Spaniards and routed them at Tucapel and on the coast! I killed Valdivia and put Villagran to flight! I burned their city of Concepcion and destroyed their people!” It was a boastful speech; but even centuries of civilization have not sufficed to make modesty the crowning virtue of military heroes in any land.

The march northward was hardly begun when Lautaro fell a victim of clever Spanish strategy, and was killed in the effort to defend himself against an unexpected attack while he slept. He died a hero, fighting to the last moment for freedom.

The brave Caupolican suffered a worse fate. Captured through the treachery of an Indian not of his own race, he was brought before the new governor, Don Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza, and condemned to the torture of being impaled, which, the chronicle states, he bore “without the quiver of an eyelid or the shadow of a frown”; only when, in addition to the indignity of being led to the scaffold nude and in chains, he saw a negro coming to lay hands on him, his proud spirit rebelled, and in a rage of resentment he exclaimed : “ Is there no one among my enemies who will kill me with his sword ? I am not afraid to die, but 1 would give up my life at the hands of a hero!” and turning to the unfortunate negro, he kicked him away with such force, in spite of his chains, that the poor wretch rolled off

GENERAL POST OFFICE. SANTIAGO.

the scaffold badly wounded. Ercilla, in his poetic description of this scene, adds a counter climax in the sudden appearance of Caupolican’s wife, who has just learned that he has been taken prisoner by the Spanish. Rushing forward with her baby in her arms, she gives vent to her indignation in a storm of bitter reproaches: “Art not thou the one who made our enemies tremble? Art not thou the same who promised to conquer Spain ? Dost thou not know that it is honor and glory to the warrior to die in battle ?” And flinging at his feet the child she carried, she draws herself up with a gesture of passionate scorn, exclaiming in a voice of fury: “Take thine own I I will not be the mother of a coward’s son!’’ and disappears suddenly into the depths of the forest.

When the Araucanians thus lost their two greatest chiefs, the Spaniards hoped and believed their resistance would waver, but, on the contrary, the death of their leaders seemed only to inflame them to more desperate fighting. Their courage never failed, their determination never yielded, and though they gave up the plan of Lautaro to attack the Spanish strongholds outside of their territory, they never ceased to defend their own country from the invader. During the next two hundred and fifty years the warfare continued, but all efforts to subdue them failed. They were never conquered, and when the Chilean nation took up arms against Spain, the Araucanians proved a powerful and willing ally against their old-time enemy. To the present day they conserve the qualities of their ancestors to a certain extent ; but as a race they are rapidly disappearing, the conditions of modern civilization not favoring their perpetuity. Those who remain continue to speak the language of their ancestors ; they love to dwell on the record of the deeds of heroism that Lautaro and Caupolican, and others like them, wrought for the glory of their people and the cause of independence. They till their soil in peace and live in comfort, and with the modest possession of a ruca they are content.