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.
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