Patrañas; or, Spanish Stories, Legendary and Traditional
Page 51
ARAUCANIA THE INDOMITABLE.
I.
Among the many traditions of Spanish adventures in the West Indiesand Americas, none are more interesting than those concerningAraucania. Araucania is a province of Chili, which was inhabited by thebravest and noblest tribe of aborigines. Their courage and patriotismpreserved them from ever succumbing to the invaders. When the ruleof Spain was at length effected, it was through the conversion of thenatives and their voluntary acceptance of a Christian government--neverby their subjugation; so much so, that for years it was commonlyknown by the name of "El Estado indomito" (the unconquered province).
Various stories are told of heroism on both sides which deserve aplace beside the noblest and most celebrated deeds of any history. DonAlonso de Ercilla y Zuniga was a page in attendance on Philip II. atthe Court of our Queen Mary, when news came of a fresh outbreakof the indomitable Araucanians. Though a mere lad, he pleaded forpermission to join the expedition which was immediately formed toquell the insurrection. He presents a marked instance of the besttype of Spanish character--brave and patriotic, and at the same timechivalrous and generous. The intervals of leisure he could snatch fromthe business of the campaign were spent in recording in a heroic poem(which he wrote on any scraps of paper he could procure, and whenthese failed on dried skins of animals) the incidents of the warwhich struck his poetic fancy. Far from attributing all the merit tothose of his own side with the spirit of a partisan, he has left aseries of most touching pictures of the nobleness and bravery of hisantagonists. His poem begins, after the manner of the Iliad, witha list of all the valiant chiefs, detailing their qualities and thenumbers they commanded. Then it goes on to give a stirring descriptionof their meeting to excite each other to rise in the defence of theircountry. There was no hanging back or cowardly fear, every one wasanxious to be foremost to the fray. When they had well eaten, andwarmed their courage with deep potations from their tinajas [110]of wine, up rose Tucapel the audacious, and declared he was readyto head the expedition. The universe knew he was the bravest of themall; and if any one disputed the boast, he was ready there and thento make it good. Not suffering him to conclude his speech, Elicurabroke in full of boldness, "To me it is given to lead the affair;and if any one dispute the claim, he must taste the point of my lance."
"To my arm! to my arm," cried Ongolmo, "it behoves to brandish theiron club."
"Folly!" shouted Lincoya, mad with rage. "It is mine to be lord ofthe world, as certainly as my hand holds the oaken staff."
"None surely," interposed Argol, "is so vain as to put his prowesson a par with mine."
But Cayocupil, shaking his heavy spear, cleared a free space aroundhim, and roared, "Who will dispute my right to be first? Let him comeon, come on! I can match you, one or all."
"I accept the challenge!" responded Lemolemo, darting towards him,"it is no effort to me to prove what is already mine of right."
But Puren [111], who was drinking at a distance, here dashed furiouslythrough the crowd, and proudly asked who dared harbour so insanea thought; declaring that where Puren stood no one else could bearcommand. When the storm was at its highest, all shouting and shakingtheir spears, the venerable Colocolo, the most ancient of all thecaciques, came forward, and silence was made before him.
"Caciques, defenders of the State!" he said, "no desire of commandanimates me; already by my great age I half belong to the other world;my love of you all alone impels me to give you the counsel of thewhite-haired. But spend not against one another the courage which isneeded against our common foe; fight not as to which of you is mostvaliant, for you are all equal in prowess as in birth and possessions,and any one of you is worthy to govern the world. But as to which shalllead in this present expedition, be advised by me: there must be one,and let the choice be decided by a trial of endurance. Whicheverof you shall longest support a baulk of timber of exceeding weightwithout wearying, he shall take the lead."
He spoke, and not one voice was raised against the voice of theancient. So the baulk of timber was brought--a vast trunk of ebonywhich a man could scarcely clasp round with his arms. Paycabi cameforward to make the essay, and planted it on his broad shoulders;six hours he bore it with a steady strain, but he could not completethe seventh. Cayocupil with an agile step walked up to the beam, andbore it five hours; Gualemo, a well-grown youth, tried it after him,but could not endure it so long; Argol took it next, but gave wayat the sixth hour, and Ongolmo only kept it half an hour more. Purenafter him bore it half a day; Lebopia, four hours and a half. Elicurastood up under it manfully longer than any, but at the ninth hour hegave in. Tucapel supported it fourteen hours, and went round to allthe caciques boasting of the feat; which, when Lincoya perceived, hetore the cloak from his terrible shoulders, and raising the ponderousbulk without the least apparent strain, planted it on his back curvedready to receive it. Then he ran hither and thither to show how slightwas the effort to him. He took it up at the rising sun, and he boreit till the sun had returned to his rest, and through the dread nightDiana kept watch with him; and the sun rose again upon his labours, yethe laid it not down till mid-day. And all the people were astonishedto find there was one so powerful among them, and they began alreadyto attribute to him the honours of the generalship.
Then Caupolican came up to take his turn quietly and alone--from hisbirth one of his eyes had been deprived of light; but what was wantingin his power of vision was made up to him in his surpassing strength.
He was a noble fellow, comely and strong, dignified in his bearingand made for command, upright and unflinching, and a strictmaintainer of that which is right. His form was muscular, litheand agile, deep-chested and erect. With the ready confidence ofassured superiority, he lifted the wood as if it had been a straw,and poised it gracefully on his shoulders. And all the people praisedthe movement with a shout of admiration; then Lincoya quailed, for hebegan to fear the victory would be taken from him. But how much more,when the hours passed by and the hero gave no sign of weariness: hepaced up and down, conquering fatigue by resistance, and increasing hispower by the habit of endurance. Thus through two days and two nightshe never flinched, and then, as if because he had done enough--notbecause he was exhausted, he lifted down the weight and flung it fromhim to a mighty distance, showing his strength still unimpaired.
Then all the people shouted and said Caupolican was their leader,and the fear of him was so great, that even those at a distanceobeyed his word as if he had been present. Caupolican first exertedhis command in setting order among his ranks, and assigning a placeto each cacique and his followers. Then he made out a sagacious planof attack on the Spaniards, and stirred up the brave Araucanians tothe contest by assuring them of a speedy victory. Some advised this,and some that, but Caupolican, with his serene word of command,reduced all to willing obedience.
The Spaniards had set up three forts to strengthen their hold onthe territory, and against the most formidable of these the firstattack was directed. The rising being quite unsuspected, the nativesapproached the fort easily; but when the Spaniards saw the hordeapproaching, they quickly raised the cry to arms, and sallied out tomeet them with supercilious impetuosity. They soon found, however,they had no mean foes to deal with; though weary and footsore withtheir hasty march, the Araucanians no sooner came in presence of thefoe, than they fought with all the pride and confidence of assuredvictory. Resistance met resistance, for hours neither side wavered,till at last the Spaniards were glad to secure their retreat in goodorder into the fort.
Now there was in the Spanish army a brave youth, who, seeing hiscountrymen give way before the barbarians, was moved to indignation;and when the gate of the fort had closed on the last of them, hestood alone [112] on the drawbridge, and cried to the insurgents,"Come on! come on, the most valiant of you! One at a time, I willmatch thirty of you--nay I refuse not to a thousand."
More than a hundred Araucanians ran hotly to the encounter; butundismayed, that Spanish youth stood boldly on the bridge, and yethe called
to them to come on. Firm and erect he met them, and with awell-placed stroke of his trusty sword laid one and again another andanother on the ground. His comrades, watching the unequal contest,sallied through a postern of the fort, and made a diversion for hisrelief. Many such devoted deeds were done on both sides that day;but it was vain the Spaniards fought like lions, for on and on theAraucanians poured, and for every Spaniard they were twenty. Then,when it was useless to resist longer against their overpoweringnumbers, they agreed during the night-time to abandon the fort; andtrusting to the swiftness of their steeds, they rode away to a placeof greater safety. So Caupolican and his caciques with great rejoicingtook possession of the place, and laid the fort even with the ground.