When This Important Business Was Accomplished, The
Whole Country Rose Upon The Spaniards, Who Were Unprepared For This Event
And Somewhat Dispersed, And Killed Forty Of Them Before They Could Draw
Their Forces Together.
On this occasion, when Valdivia was about to take
the field to chastise the Chilese, part of his troops
Threatened to mutiny
against his authority, and he was under the necessity of hanging several
of the ringleaders, among whom was captain Pedro Sancho de Hosz, who was
almost equal to himself in the command of this expedition. After the
suppression of this mutiny, Valdivia took the field against the Indians,
and during his absence an army of the enemy exceeding seven thousand men
came to attack the newly established city, in which only a small number of
Spaniards remained for its defence, under the command of the captains
Francisco de Villagran, and Alfonso de Monroy. These officers went boldly
out against the Chilese, at the head only of thirty horsemen, with whom
they fought bravely against the immense number of Chilese archers from
morning till night, after which they retired into the city, extremely
fatigued and several of them wounded, but none of them slain. As the
Chilese suffered a great loss in killed and wounded during this engagement,
they retired during the night.
For eight years afterwards, Valdivia and his troops defended themselves
bravely against every effort of the Chilese, who continued the war
incessantly. In all that time, Valdivia obliged his soldiers to cultivate
a sufficient quantity of land for their sustenance, not being able to
procure Indians for that purpose, yet resolved not to abandon the country
which had been commited to his government.
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