History of the Philippine IslandsMorga, Antonio de
History
History of the Philippine Islands
Morga, Antonio de
Philippines -- History
The king of Sian reached his court in the city of Odia [50] and
waited for the arrival of the junk; but seeing that it delayed longer
than was necessary, he suspected that it had been seized or lost,
and desired to send someone to bring him news of it and the reason
for the delay. Among the prisoners he had made in Camboja was the
Portuguese, Diego Belloso, who had been sent to Manila in the time
of Gomez Perez Dasmariñas by King Prauncar Langara, to request his
friendship and assistance against Sian which was then threatening him,
as abovesaid. On his return to Camboja with the governor's answer and
present, Belloso found that the Siamese had seized the country and
had occupied it. Accordingly they captured him, and the Siamese king
seized the present which he carried off with the other captures to his
country. This Diego Belloso, getting wind of the king's intention, had
word sent to the latter that, if he were to send him on this business,
he would go as far as Manila, since he knew that archipelago so well,
and find out what had happened to the junk. At the same time he said
that he would establish friendship and commerce in the king's name
with the Spaniards, and would procure many European curiosities for
him, which were to be found in Manila, especially a colored stone
large enough to serve as a hilt for the two-handed sword which the
king used--a thing which the king greatly desired on account of
a smaller one that he had found among the presents, and which he
carried before him when on his elephant. The king agreed to this and
had a junk prepared; he sent in it a Siamese who was in his service,
and all the other men necessary for the voyage, together with Diego
Belloso. He sent two elephants to the governor of Manila, and a
quantity of benzoin, ivory, and other merchandise for sale, with
the proceeds of which they were to buy the curiosities mentioned by
Belloso. Having set sail they encountered a storm, and the junk put in
at Malaca, where they learned that the other junk of the Siamese king,
for which they were looking, had been seized, and that the Spaniards
who had embarked as prisoners at Camboja, had taken it with all its
cargo to Manila, after killing the Siamese guards.
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