The end, however, was not long in coming. It was due to an Indian boy, named Lautaro, who had been raised in the household of Valdivia himself, that their freedom was finally obtained. He had learned to manage horses, and to use the Spaniards’ weapons. Taking some of these animals, he joined his people and stirred up a general insurrection. A public assembly of the tribes was called, and Lautaro presented a definite plan for a campaign against the enemy. When Valdivia arrived on the scene to put this revolt down he found some of the towns already in ashes. Lautaro, although only twenty-one years of age, had shown a genius for war and was in command, and had already established some discipline among his troops. Not a single Spaniard escaped in a battle, or series of skirmishes, that was fought, although thousands of the Indians fell. Contrary to the example set by the Spaniards Lautaro simply killed his prisoners by beheading them without any preliminary torture.[1] Valdivia himself was captured by the Indians. That general at once offered him two hundred sheep for his release, and promised to withdraw all of his troops from their territory. The Indian caciques, however, would not consent to this, and, at a prearranged signal, one of the Indian soldiers struck him on the head with a club and killed him. It is said that his body was afterwards eaten by the assembled caciques, in order to give them heart in the struggle against the Spaniards. This seems to have been a custom among many primitive races. Thus was a struggle begun which lasted for three centuries. During this time the Spaniards frequently penetrated the country of the Indians, and were as many times driven back again. The number of horses owned by the Indians soon increased, and they also secured many arms from the slain Spaniards, so that by the latter part of the sixteenth century they were in a better position to fight. In 1599 they were able to muster no less than two thousand mounted troops. They had also developed herds of cattle and sheep from original stock secured from the Spaniards. Plagues broke out at different times, and these, together with the numbers lost in battle, greatly decimated the natives. The death of Valdivia was the beginning of a heroic age for the Indians. The whole country was soon in arms, and the Spaniards were ousted from most of their settlements. Villagran, successor of Valdivia, was driven out of the valley, but soon afterwards returned with reinforcements and commenced a war of extermination. He employed bloodhounds as auxiliaries, and these animals destroyed many Indians, especially women and children. He destroyed the crops wherever possible, and this brought on starvation and plague. He rebuilt some of the forts and established others, for he was at the head of a splendidly appointed army of several thousand men who had come there from Peru.