bold and general attack, and dismayed by the loss
of their cannon, the Spanish horse and foot fell into
confusion and disorder, and were so furiously pressed
upon by the valiant Lautaro and his troops, that they
dispersed and fled with the utmost precipitation.
Three thousand of the Spaniards and their Promaucian
allies were slain in this decisive battle, Villagran
himself, having fallen in the retreat, was on the
point of being taken prisoner, when he was rescued
by the almost incredible efforts of three of his soldiers,
and remounted on his horse. The remaining Spaniards
urged on their almost exhausted horses to regain the
narrow defile where the engagement had commenced,
and were closely pursued by the Araucanians; but on
arriving at the pass, they found it blocked up with
trees, which had been felled across by orders of Lautaro.
The engagement was renewed at this place with the
utmost fury, and not a man of the broken army would
have escaped, had not Villagran opened the pass at
the utmost hazard of his life. Though the Araucanians
had lost above seven hundred men in the course of this
eventful battle, they continued the pursuit a long
way; but at length, unable to keep up with the horses,
and exhausted with excessive fatigue, they gave up
the pursuit, and Lautaro encamped for the night to
refresh his men, determined upon passing the Biobio
next day to follow up the consequences of his glorious
and decisive victory.
On the arrival of the few Spaniards at Conception
who had been able to escape from the slaughter at
Mariguenu, the city of Conception was filled with
indescribable grief and dismay, not a family but had
to deplore the loss of some near relation; and the
alarm was greatly increased by learning that Lautaro
was fast approaching with his victorious army.
As Villagran considered it to be impossible to defend
the city under the present dismay of his small remaining
force, he hastily embarked all the old men, women,
and children on board two ships that happened to be
then in the harbour, one of which he ordered to proceed
to Imperial, and the other to Valparaiso, while he
proceeded by land for St Jago with all the rest of
the inhabitants who were able to carry arms.
Lautaro entered the city next day without opposition,
which he found entirely deserted of its inhabitants,
but filled with much valuable booty, as by its mines
and commerce it had already attained considerable
opulence, and the inhabitants were in such haste to
escape with their lives, that they only took what
provisions they could procure along with them, and
abandoned their riches. After removing every thing
that was valuable, Lautaro burnt all the houses, and
razed the citadel and other fortifications; after
which he returned with his army to Arauco, to celebrate
his triumph after the manner usual in his country.