Lantaro The Boy Hero Of The Araucanians
The river Biobio, in Southern Chili, was for centuries the boundary
between liberty and oppression in South America. South of it lay the land
of the Araucanians, that brave and warlike people who preserved their
independence against the whites, the only Indian nation in America of
which this can be said. Valorous and daring as were the American Indians,
their arms and their arts were those of the savage, and the great
discipline of their white invaders. But such was not the case with the
valiant Araucanians. From the period of Almagro, the companion of Pizarro
and the first invader of Chili, down to our own days these bold Americans
fought for and retained their independence, holding the Biobio as their
national frontier, and driving army after army from their soil. Not until
1882 did they consent to become citizens of Chili, and then of their own
free will, and they still retain their native habits and their pride in
their pure blood.
The most heroic and intrepid of the Indian races, they defied the armies
of the Incas long before the Spaniards came, and the armies of the
Spaniards for centuries afterwards, and though they have now consented to
become a part of the Chilian nation, this has not been through conquest,
and they are as independent in spirit to-day as in the warlike years of
the past. Their hardy and daring character infects the whole of Chili, and
has given that little republic, drawn out like a long string between the
Andes and the sea, the reputation of being one of the most warlike and
unyielding of countries, while to its people has been applied the
suggestive title of "the Yankees of the South."
It would need a volume to tell the deeds of the heroes who arose in
succession to defend the land of Araucania from the arms of those who so
easily overturned the mighty empire of Peru. We shall, therefore, confine
ourselves to the exploits of one of the earliest of these, a youthful
warrior with a genius for war that might have raised him to the rank of a
great commander had not death early cut short his career. The second
Spaniard who attempted the conquest of this valiant people was Pedro de
Valdivia, the quartermaster of Pizarro, an able soldier, but one of those
who fancied that a handful of Spanish cavaliers were a match for the
strongest of the Indian tribes. He little knew the spirit of the race with
which he would have to deal.
Southward from Peru marched the bold Valdivia with two hundred Spaniards
at his back. With them as aids to conquest was brought a considerable
force of Peruvians; also priests and women, for he proposed to settle and
hold the land as his own after he had conquered it. Six hundred miles
southward he went, fighting the hostile natives at every step, and on the
14th of February, 1541, stopped and laid the foundations of a town which
he named St. Jago. This still stands as the modern Santiago, a city of
three hundred thousand souls.
We do not propose to tell the story of Valdivia's wars with the many
tribes of Chili. He was in that land nine years before his conquests
brought him to the Biobio and the land of the Araucanians, with whom alone
we are concerned. On the coast near the mouth of this river he founded a
new town, which he named Concepcion, and made this the basis of an
invasion of the land of the Araucanians, whom he proposed to subdue.
As it happened, the Araucanian leader at this time was a man with the body
of a giant and the soul of a dwarf. He timidly kept out of the way of the
Spaniards until they had overrun most of the country, built towns and
forts, and had reason to believe that the whole of Chili was theirs.
Valdivia went on founding cities until he had seven in all, and gave
himself the proud title of the Marquis of Arauco, fancying that he was
lord and master of the Araucanians. He was too hasty; Arauco was not yet
his.
A new state of affairs began when the Araucanians, disgusted with the
timid policy of their leader, chose a bolder man, named Caupolican, as
their toqui, or head chief. A daring and able man, the new toqui soon
taught the Spaniards a lesson. He began with an attack on their forts. At
one of these, named Arauco, the invaders had eighty Indians employed in
bringing them forage for their horses. The wily Caupolican replaced these
laborers by eighty of his own warriors, who hid their arms in the bundles
of hay they carried. On reaching the fort they were to attack the guards
and hold the gates till their ambushed comrades could come to their aid.
This device failed, the garrison attacking and driving back the
forage-bearers before Caupolican could reach the place. Foiled in this, he
made a fierce assault upon the fort, but the fire of eighty cannons proved
too much for Indian means of defence, and the assailants were forced to
draw back and convert their assault into a siege. This did not continue
long before the Spaniards found themselves in peril of starvation. Vainly
they sallied out on their assailants, who were not to be driven off; and
finally, hopeless of holding the fort, the beleaguered garrison cut its
way by a sudden night attack through the besieging lines and retired to
the neighboring fort of Puren. A similar result took place at another fort
called Tucapel, its garrison also seeking a refuge at Puren.
When news of these events reached Valdivia, he saw that his conquests were
in peril, and at once set out for the seat of war with all his forces,
amounting to about two hundred Spaniards and four or five thousand
Indians. A small party of cavalry were despatched in advance to
reconnoitre the enemy, but they were all killed by the Araucanians and
their heads were hung on roadside trees as a warning to their approaching
comrades. This gruesome spectacle had much of the effect intended. On
seeing it many of the Spaniards were dismayed and clamored to return. But
Valdivia insisted on advancing, and on the 3d of December, 1553, the two
armies came in sight of each other at Tucapel.
Valdivia soon found that he had no ordinary Indians to deal with. These
were not of the kind that could be dispersed by a squadron of cavalry. A
fierce charge was made on his left wing, which was cut to pieces by the
daring warriors of Caupolican. The right wing was also vigorously
attacked. But the artillery and musketry of the Spaniards were mowing down
the ranks of the Araucanians, whose rude war-clubs and spears were
ill-fitted to cope with those death-dealing weapons. Driven back, and
hundreds of them falling, they returned with heroic courage three times to
the assault. But at length the slaughter became too great to bear and the
warriors were ready to flee in dismay.
At this critical moment the first great hero of the Araucanians appeared.
He was a boy of only sixteen years of age, a mere lad, who some time
before had been captured by Valdivia, baptized, and made his page. But
young as he was, he loved his country ardently and hated the invaders with
a bitter hate, and it was this youthful hero who saved the day for his
countrymen and snatched victory out of defeat.
Leaving the Spanish ranks at the moment the Araucanians were shrinking in
dismay, he rushed into their ranks, called loudly on them to turn, accused
them of cowardice, and bade them to face their foes like men. Seizing a
lance, he charged alone on the Spaniards, calling on his countrymen to
follow him. Inspired by his example and his cries, the Araucanians charged
with such fury that the ranks of the Spaniards and their allies were
broken, and they were cut down until the whole force was annihilated. It
is said that of the entire expedition only two Indians escaped.
Valdivia, who had retired with his chaplain to pray, on seeing the fortune
of war turning against him, was seized by a party of the victors and
brought before Caupolican. The dismayed captive begged the chief for his
life, promising to leave Chili with all his Spaniards. Seeing Lantaro, his
late page, he asked him to intercede with the chief, and this the generous
boy did. But the Araucanians had little faith in Spanish promises, and an
old warrior who stood near ended the matter by raising his war-club and
dashing out the captive's brains. Thus tragically ended the career of one
of the least cruel of the Spanish conquerors. He paid the penalty of his
disdain of Indian courage.
Lantaro, the boy hero, had the blood of chiefs in his veins, and was
endowed by nature with beauty of person, nobleness of character, and
intrepidity of soul. His people honored him highly in the festival with
which they celebrated their victory, and Caupolican appointed him his
special lieutenant, raising him to a rank in the army nearly equal to his
own.
There was fighting still to be done. The leader of the Spaniards was dead,
but he had left many behind him, and there were still strongholds in the
Indian country held by Spanish arms. On hearing of the terrible disaster
to their cause, the Spaniards hastily evacuated their forts beyond the
Biobio and retired to the towns of Imperial and Valdivia. Here they were
besieged by Caupolican, while Lantaro was given the difficult task of
defending the border-land about the frontier stream. The youthful general
at once fortified himself on the steep mount of Mariguenu, a fort made
very strong by nature.
Meanwhile, the two Indians who had escaped from Tucapel brought the news
of the disaster to Concepcion, filling the minds of the people with
terror. The tidings of an attack on a party of fourteen horsemen, of whom
seven were slain, added to the dismay. The fact that they were now dealing
with a foe to whom artillery and cavalry had lost their terrors was not
reassuring to the invaders of the land. Evidently their position was
hazardous; they must fight to win or retreat.
Villagrau, who was chosen to succeed Valdivia, decided to fight. With a
small army of Spaniards and a strong body of Indians he crossed the Biobio
and marched upon Lantaro and his men, ascending Mount Mariguenu to attack
the stronghold on its top.
Boy as Lantaro was, he showed the skill of an old soldier in dealing with
his well-armed foe. While the Spaniards were toiling up a narrow pass of
the mountain a strong force of Araucanians fell upon them, and for three
hours gave them as sharp a fight as they had yet encountered. Then the
Indians withdrew to the strong palisade, behind which Lantaro awaited the
foe.
Up the side of the steep mountain rode a party of Spanish horsemen, with
the purpose of forcing a passage, but near the summit they were met with
such a storm of arrows and other missiles that it became necessary to
support them with infantry and artillery. Lantaro, vigilant in the
defence, endeavored to surround the Spaniards with a body of his warriors,
but the success of this stratagem was prevented by the advance of
Villagrau to their support. The battle now grew hot, the artillery in
particular sweeping down the ranks of the Indians.
At this critical juncture Lantaro showed that he was a born captain.
Calling to him one of his officers, named Leucoton, he said, "You see
those thunder-tubes. It is from them our trouble comes. There is your
work. Do not dare show your face to me until you have made them your own."
Leucoton at once rushed forward with his company and fell in fury upon the
battery, driving back the gunners and capturing their cannon. This
successful charge was followed by Lantaro with a fierce attack on the
Spanish front, which broke their ranks, throwing them into confusion and
putting them to flight. The defeat was ruinous, three thousand of the
Spaniards and their allies being slain, while Villagrau was saved with
difficulty and at the risk of their lives by three of his men, who picked
him up where he lay wounded and carried him off on his horse.
In their flight the Spaniards had to traverse again the defile by which
they had ascended. Lantaro had sent men to obstruct it by felled trees,
and the few remaining Spaniards had a severe fight before they could
escape. The Araucanians pursued them to the Biobio, fatigue preventing
their following beyond that stream. The fugitives continued their flight
until Concepcion was reached, and here the old men and women were speedily
sent north in ships, while the other inhabitants fled from the city in a
panic, and started for Santiago by land. All their property was left, and
the victors found a rich prize when they entered the city. Lantaro, after
destroying the place, returned home, to be greeted with the acclamations
of his people.
We must deal more rapidly with the remaining events of the boy hero's
career. Some time after this defeat the Spaniards attempted to rebuild
Concepcion, but while thus employed they were attacked and defeated by
Lantaro, who pursued them through the open gates of their fortress and
took possession of the stronghold, the people again fleeing to the woods
and the ships in the harbor. Once more burning the city, Lantaro withdrew
in triumph.
The "Chilian Hannibal," as Lantaro has been with much justice called, now
advanced against Santiago with six hundred picked men, as an aid to
Caupolican in his siege of Imperial and Valdivia. Reaching the country of
the Indian allies of the Spanish, the youthful general laid it waste. He
then fortified himself on the banks of the Rio Claro and sent out spies
into the country of the enemy. At the same time a body of Spanish horsemen
were sent from the city to reconnoitre the position of their enemies, but
they were met and driven back in dismay, being severely handled by the
Araucanians. The news of their repulse filled the people of Santiago with
consternation.
Villagrau being ill, he despatched his son Pedro against Lantaro, and
ordered the roads leading to the city to be fortified. Young Pedro proved
no match for his still younger but much shrewder opponent. When the
Spaniards attacked him, Lantaro withdrew as if in a panic, the Spaniards
following tumultuously into the fortifications. Once inside, the Indians
turned on them and cut them down so furiously that none but the horsemen
escaped.
Three times Pedro attacked Lantaro, but each time was repulsed. The young
Spanish leader then withdrew into a meadow, while Lantaro encamped on a
neighboring hill, with the design in mind of turning the waters of a
mountain stream on Pedro's camp. Fortunately for the latter, a spy
informed him of the purpose to drown him out, and he hastily retired to
Santiago.
Villagrau had now got well again, and relieved his son of the task which
had proved too much for him. At the head of a strong force, he took a
secret route by the sea-shore, with the purpose of surprising the
Araucanian camp. At daybreak the cries of his sentinels aroused Lantaro to
the impending danger, and he sprang up and hurried to the side of his
works to observe the coming enemy. He had hardly reached there when an
arrow from the bow of one of the Spanish allies pierced him with a mortal
wound, and the gallant boy leader fell dead in the arms of his followers.
A fierce combat followed, the works being stormed and the fight not ending
till none of the Araucanians remained alive. The Spaniards then withdrew
to Santiago, where for three days they celebrated the death of their foe;
while his countrymen, dismayed by his fall, at once abandoned the siege of
the invested cities and returned home.
A remarkable career was that of this young captain, begun at sixteen and
ending at nineteen. History presents no rival to his precocious military
genius, though in the centuries of war for independence in his country
many older heroes of equal fame and daring arose for the defence of their
native land against the Spanish foe.
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There was a day in the history of the Old Dominion when a great lawsuit was to be tried,--a great one, that is, to the people of Hanover County, where it was heard, and to the colony of Virginia, though not to the country at large. The Church of Eng... Paul Revere's Ride
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No sooner had Tarik defeated the Christian army on the fatal field of Sidonia than he sent out detachments of horsemen in all directions, hoping to win the leading cities of Spain before the people should recover from their terror. One of these de... Peter The Cruel And The Free Companies
About the middle of the year 1365 a formidable expedition set out from France for the invasion of Castile. It consisted of the celebrated Free Companies, marauding bands of French and English knights and archers whose allegiance was to the sword, ... Peter The Hermit
In the last decade of the eleventh century there might have been seen, wandering through every part of France and Germany, a man of singular appearance. Small of stature, almost dwarfish in size, emaciated by rigid austerities, angular and ungainly ... Philopoemen And The Fall Of Sparta
The history of Greece may well seem remarkable to modern readers, since it brings us in contact with conditions which have ceased to exist anywhere upon the earth. To gain some idea of its character, we should have to imagine each of the counties ... Pizarro And The Inca's Golden Ransom
The great expedition to the land of gold, which Vasco Nunez de Balboa had planned to make, was left by his death to be carried out by one of his companions in the discovery of the South Sea, the renowned Francisco Pizarro. It was an expedition ful... Plataea's Famous Day
On a certain day, destined to be thereafter famous, two strong armies faced each other on the plain north of the little Boeotian town of Plataea. Greece had gathered the greatest army it had ever yet put into the field, in all numbering one hundre... Ponce De Leon And The Fountain Of Youth
A golden Easter day was that of the far-away year 1513, when a small fleet of Spanish ships, sailing westward from the green Bahamas, first came in sight of a flower-lined shore, rising above the blue Atlantic waves, and seeming to smile a welcome a... Progress In Japan And China
We have in the preceding tales brought down from a remote period the history of the two oldest nations now existing on the face of the earth. There are peoples as old, but none others which have kept intact their national organization and form of go... Pyrrhus And The Romans
Seven years after the death of Alexander, the Macedonian conqueror, there was born in Epirus, a country of Greece, a warrior who might have rivalled Alexander's fortune and fame had he, like him, fought against Persians. But he had the misfortune ... Queen Margaret And The Calmar Union
We have next to tell how the three kingdoms of Scandinavia, between which rivalry and hostility had often prevailed, became united into one great Scandinavian realm, under the rule of a woman, the great Queen Margaret. This was a very important even... Ragnar Lodbrok And His Wives And Sons
The old sagas, or hero tales of the north, are full of stories of enchantment and strange marvels. We have told one of these tales in the record of King Rolf and Princess Torborg. We have now to tell that of Ragnar Lodbrok, a hero king of the early ... Richelieu And The Conspirators
In a richly-furnished state apartment of the royal palace of the Luxembourg, on a day in November, 1630, stood Louis XIII., king of France, tapping nervously with his fingers on the window-pane, and with a disturbed and irresolute look upon his face...