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 THE COLONIAL PERIOD 99 were discussed. These were that the Biobio should henceforth be the boundary, that neither nation should pass that river with an army, that all deserters should be mutually returned, and that Christian mission- aries should be permitted to preach to the Arauca- nians. The toqui required, as a preliminary step to satisfy himself of the good faith of the Spaniards, that the forts of Arauco and Paicavi, recently established upon the seacoast, should be abandoned. Thereupon the fort of Arauco was abandoned and the governor promised to withdraw the garrison from the other as soon as the treaty of peace should be agreed upon. Satisfied with this, Ancanamon departed to confer with his chiefs. But the negotiations were suddenly interrupted in an unexpected manner. Ancanamon had a Spanish wife in his seraglio. During his absence she fled to the governor ; with her were two children, as well as two other wives and two daughters, of the toqui. These refugees were kindly received by the Spaniards and this so incensed Ancanamon that he gave up all thought of peace. He demanded of the governor the return of his wives and children. This demand was, after considerable parleying, refused on the ground that the refugees had embraced the Christian faith, and that they could not be permitted to run any danger of loosing so great a blessing by a return to their Indian master. Thus the negotiations were about to fail of any sat- isfactory result, when the head ulmen of lUicura, Uti- flame, who had long been a most inveterate foe to the Spaniards, came to visit Valdivia at Arauco out of re- gard for the priest's benefaction to him in returning sons who had previously been taken as prisoners. He