Our father Fray Vicente, as one who found himself with the province in charge, and who took especial care of its increase, managed its affairs with great assiduity. He visited all the provinces personally. He went to that of the Bisayas, which even yet bewails the cost to them of that visit. And if we must confess that the prelate’s zeal was proper, we have not to confess that the province which has ever enjoyed an austere reputation had grown so careless as to need so bitter medicine. And since those who were removed from their priorates were given others, this rigor could well have been avoided, in my opinion, although perhaps it ought to be considered proper, as the government of the prelates is paramount. The provincial returned to Manila, leaving Fray Alonso de Baraona as his vicar-provincial.
During this period the islands were passing through very great dangers; for the Dutch from Maluco were vaunting themselves more than was proper, and every day brought news that the Mindanaos were assembling to destroy the islands—fears that made the people timorous and too anxious. Finally their fears came to a head with the arrival in great force of the Dutch off the coast of the town of Arévalo, whose purpose was to prevent the aid which was to be sent from that port to the forts of Térnate. The enemy had ten galleons, of varying capacity; and it was even told as truth that they were bringing lime and the other supplies for settling in Ilong-ilong. But later, when the matter was better considered, it must have been seen that their residence there would not be productive of any profit, but rather of a very great expense. Besides, it would be very difficult to send them aid; while our troops could easily oust them, as the island is ours. The commandant of the town of Arévalo, also its alcalde-mayor and overseer-general, without mincing words, was no more a man than is a hen. Even in bravery, a hen is more than he; since the hen, upon seeing the approach of the kite, is aroused, and becomes a lioness in order to guard her chicks. But this person, by name Antonio de Jaréz de Montero, did no more than to run away, although he had troops to meet the enemy face to face. He had assembled more than two thousand Indians from those encomiendas; he had more than two hundred Spaniards. And so when the Indians saw, the night before, the signal which had been made from the island of Imalus,32 they fled, and not one was to be seen next day; and all of the Spaniards who could, went also. In the morning, Monday, on such and such a day of October, the enemy appeared, and came straight to the port of Ilong-ilong, as if they had frequented it for many years. Thereupon, the alcalde-mayor fled inland, without taking thought for anything. Thus the field—where had four Spaniards remained, they would have performed great deeds—was left to the enemy. I was living at that time in Otóng, where father Fray Juan de Lecea33 was prior, a most exemplary religious. Father Fray Silvestre de Torres,34 who had come from Japón, was likewise a conventual of that place. We did the same as the others. We stored aboard a caracoa the most valuable things of the convent, and buried the rest. We ordered the Indians to remain with the caracoa among those creeks, of which there are many. They did so, and hence all the things aboard the caracoa and those buried were found afterward. The enemy, not meeting any opposition, landed, came to the town of Arévalo, and set fire to it all. They burned our convent, which was quite fine and built of wood They burned that of Salog also, an excellent convent, which even yet has not been rebuilt. The enemy suffered greatly on the road, for that season in the islands is the rainy season. We went to the convent of Baong, one day’s journey inland from the town, although we spent more than two in reaching it. I, although sick, was first to arrive. The prior of that convent was Father Diego Oseguera.35 Although the convent was poor, yet they acted as if they were wealthy. They shared all the rice and beef of the convent with all [the fugitives] who kept coming every moment, without taking account of anything. The convent of Otong, besides its building, lost a ranch of cattle which it owned then of more than five hundred head and others of mares of more than one hundred head. For as the cattle were tame and came to their usual resorts, the enemy caught some and shot others. The fathers of the Society lost much also. The rector of their college there was, at that time, Father Encinas,36 a man of uncommon holiness. He also came to Baong, by short relays, and lived in our convents until his order summoned him.
The commandant and lieutenant-governor of the Pintados, Don Juan de la Vega, was in Sugbú with two companies of infantry. The news of the enemy’s coming was told to him; accordingly he embarked his men and brought them thither, but, when he had arrived, the enemy had burned everything, and were away up the point. Thus the troops, went to the convent of Passi—one-half day’s journey by land—by the river of Alacaygan. That same day I arrived at Passi, for I went from Baong to Laglag, and from Laglag to Passi. The Indians were already vaunting themselves very insolently, and refused to render any aid; but it appears that with the arrival of those two companies, whom they had in the heart of the country, they began to become calm. Who can tell what these convents did, and what they gave and supplied? It is incredible, for almost from their shoulders hung all those troops, yet without curtailing anything [of the convent’s usual bounty]. The convents were hostelries for those soldiers and captains, until their substance was gone. But when that commandant could have collected more than three hundred Indians (or rather, soldiers), and gone to meet the enemy and could have inflicted great damage upon him, he spent the time in scandalous feasting. Afterward he went to Dumangas where all the people of the town of Otóng and the other soldiers were gathered; and there, by surfeiting themselves with cocoa-nuts and sugar-cane, and committing other acts of hoggish greed, more of them died than if they had fought with the enemy. That commandant was the son of an auditor, and must have been a brave man, although he caused grief to everyone; and his blunders must have been fine bits of prudence. He also lost for the king a galleon named “San Márcos,” one of the best and stoutest vessels built in the islands. Another auditor’s son, Don Pedro de Almazán, when general of the galleys, had the Mindanaos blockaded in the river Baco, and when already the enemy were thinking of surrendering, he left the port, whereupon the enemy regained courage and went away. The sons of auditors have done many things like these, but I do not write them, as I am not the historian of their acts of prowess. I have merely remarked this in passing, as it was necessary to speak of it. Finally, Don Juan de la Vega died suddenly. There he will have given account to God. Perhaps his intention in something may save him.
It will be apparent from what I have written, that there has been scarcely any event in these islands, either of war or peace, where those of my order have not distinguished themselves. In the above they did so no less than in others, for they were fathers to so many poor, and hosts and support to so many soldiers. They relieved, if not wholly, at least partially, the needs of so many, which one can easily believe would be many, since they were abandoning their houses, burned with what little they contained, and fleeing from the enemy who were burning their possessions.
The enemy left the islands after that, whereupon father Fray Juan de Lecea, as a true father to the end—and what he grieved over, was, in truth, the leading astray of his flock—went down from the mountains, as soon as he learned that the enemy were not in Otóng, and reached (although not without many tears), those sites where had been the convent, and where the true God had been worshiped. He began to gather together those dear wretched beings, and gave them alms of the little that he had. Finally, with God’s help, those natives gradually came down from the mountains and assembled in their village, where they began to build their houses anew. Father Fray Juan de Lecea showed so excellent management that he soon had a habitation. I left the upland then and went to the visita of Guimbal, where the enemy had not been. From that place I sent Father Lecea men, and what [supplies] I could, so that the work might progress. There by the Lord’s pleasure, the Tinguianes of that visita, who had never consented to build a church, nor have the father visit them, at length, through the Lord’s mercy, ceased their obduracy. They built me a church, and I baptized many of them, both children at the breast and those somewhat older, and adults. If I have done any service to the Lord in that place, I pray His Majesty to receive it as a partial payment for my many acts of disservice.
On my departure from all those mountains, and my return to Otóng, I found already a church and small dwelling-house built, and another under way, larger and more commodious, which was soon finished, until it finally