Page:A history of Chile.djvu/69

THE COLONIAL PERIOD 57 surround the Spaniards, but Villagran advancing pre- vented this manoeuvre from being successfully carried out. Perceiving now that his main losses came from the cannonading, Lautaro ordered Leucoton to cap- ture the guns, bidding him not to dare to show his face until the order was executed. Leucoton with his company thereupon fell so furiously upon the artillery- men that they were driven back and the cannon cap- tured. Lautaro followed up this advantage by a vig- orous attack in front, which threw the Spaniards into confusion and soon put them to flight. Of Spanish soldiers and auxiliaries, three thousand lay dead upon the field. Villagran himself was barely saved by the almost superhuman efforts of three of his soldiers, who picked him up wounded and put him upon his horse. It was necessary for the Spaniards in their flight to repass the narrow defile where the battle had begun. This the cunning Lautaro had ordered obstructed by means of felled trees. There was a furious combat before the few remaining Spaniards could make their escape. The Araucanians pursued them to the river Biobio ; but fatigued as the Indians were, having sustained a loss of about seven hundred men, Lautaro halted to give his troops time for rest with the inten- tion of crossing the river the following day. The fugitives made their way to Concepcion, where Villa- gran hurriedly put the old men and women aboard ships and sent them to Imperial and Valparaiso. The remaining inhabitants started by land for Santi- ago, leaving their property behind them, so that when Lautaro entered the deserted city he found there much rich booty. The place was razed ; after which the young hero returned to Arauco to receive the plaudits of his nation.