The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55: 1609; 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 Close of the Nineteenth Century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55: 1609; 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 Close of the Nineteenth Century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
a brother of Silonga, went on that embassy to Ternate, and negotiated
so efficaciously that the Ternate king sent seven caracoas with him,
six pieces of artillery, two medium-sized pieces, and some falcons,
together with six hundred men. These, sailing to the river of Mindanao,
tried to ascend as far as Buyahen by it. But they found at its mouths
great obstructions to pass, because in one branch the largest Spanish
fort threatened them, and the galleys and other boats; and in the
other was a narrow pass, which ran to a point, on which was built a
rampart guarded by forty men. From that place to the other side of
the river, our men had themselves built a very strong wooden bridge,
close to which a galliot plied. The Ternatans, seeing so strong a
defense on both sides, resolved to fortify themselves on the chief
mouth of the river. They built a small fort, and, together with an
equal number of Mindanao soldiers, shut themselves up in it. This
news aroused General Ronquillo to dislodge them. He went down to
accomplish it with the galleys and other vessels, and one hundred
and forty well-armed men. He landed with one hundred and sixteen
men, together with Captains Ruy Gomez Arellano, Garcia Guerrero,
Christoval Villagra, and Alonso de Palma. He met the enemy at a
distance of eighty paces on the bank of the river. The Ternatans
and Mindanaos had carefully cleared the front of their fort, but
had designedly left a thicket at one side of it, where three hundred
Ternatans were ambushed, while the rest were inside the fortress. As
both parties saw how few of our men were attacking them, they grew
ashamed of their fortress and ambush. Threatening our men insolently,
they showed themselves and advanced upon the Spaniards. They found
so great opposition from our men that without using any stratagem,
or for no other reason beyond natural strength, at the first shock of
battle nearly all the Ternatans were killed, and the rest fled. Our
men pursued them until they killed them all. The men of Tampaca,
who had been neutral until then, in consideration of the dealings of
Fortune, and seeing that she had declared in our favor, took up arms
for us. Only seventy-seven Ternatans, badly wounded, escaped; and
fifty of these were drowned in the river, into which they had thrown
themselves in desperation. Only three of the twenty-seven survived,
and they informed their king of it. The Spaniards seized the boats,
artillery and spoils of she conquered, and became encouraged to
continue the war against infidels.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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