The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 02 of 55: 1521-1569; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 02 of 55: 1521-1569; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
From this island the fleet directed its course towards Butuan,
a province of the island of Vindanao; but the tides and contrary
winds drove us upon the coast of an island called Bohol. Here we
cast anchor, and within a small bay of this island we made some
necessary repairs to the flagship. One morning the _almiranta_
[98] sighted a junk at some distance away. Thinking it to be one
of the smaller _praus,_ the master-of-camp despatched against it a
small boat with six soldiers, after which he came to the flagship to
inform me of what he had done. Seeing that he had not sent men enough,
I despatched another small boat with all the men it could hold; and
the master-of-camp himself with instructions how he was to proceed,
reached the boat and junk, which were exchanging shots. The junk
seeing that the boat contained 10 few men, defied them. When the
second boat arrived it found some of the men wounded, and that the
junk had many and well-made arrows and lances, with a culverin and
some muskets. The junk defied the second boat also. Shouting out in
Castilian, "a bordo! a bordo!" ["board! board!"] They grappled it, and
on boarding it, one of our soldiers was killed by a lance-thrust in the
throat. Those aboard the junk numbered forty-five soldiers. Fourteen
or fifteen of them jumped into a canoe which they carried on their
poop deck, and fled. Eight or ten of the others were captured alive,
and the remainder were killed. I have been assured that they fought
well and bravely in their defense, as was quite apparent; for besides
the man they killed, they also wounded more than twenty others of
our soldiers. In the junk were found many white and colored blankets,
some damasks, _almaizales_ [99] of silk and cotton, and some figured
silk; also iron, tin, sulphur, porcelain, some gold, and many other
things. The junk was taken to the flagship. Its crew were Burnei
Moros. Their property was returned to them, and what appeared, in our
reckoning, its equivalent in articles of barter was given to them,
because their capture was not induced by greed. My chief intent is
not to go privateering, but to make treaties and to procure friends,
of which I am in great need. The Burneans were much pleased and
satisfied with this liberality displayed toward them, thus showing
how fickle they were.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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