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.
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