The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 19 of 55: 1620-1621; 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 19 of 55: 1620-1621; 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
At this same time, the Mindanaos who had remained with the other
squadron of caracoas came to the coast of Manila, to a village called
Balayan. The Mindanaos landed, and the inhabitants fled. They set fire
to the village and to more than one thousand quintals of your Majesty's
rigging, through the fault and neglect of him who was governing. For
although the master-of camp, Don Juan Ronquillo, had advised them--on
account of the news that had come that the Mindanaos had burned the
shipyard, and were pillaging--that fifty soldiers be sent to Balayan
for its defense, and because the alcalde-mayor had sent to request it,
they did not do so, but postponed it from day to day; and consequently
the enemy was able to destroy that place. But as the inhabitants
were warned, as soon as they saw the Mindanaos coming, they had a
chance to get into the place of safety that was being prepared for
them. Our Lord ordained that, although they set fire to the rigging,
little of it was burned; for God kept it for the preparation of the
fleet, without which that would have been impossible.
At the news of the coming of the Mindanaos, two galleys were sent
under one commander, in order to prevent the junction of the Moros
with the Dutch, and to try to scatter them. Although the Mindanaos
had thirty-five caracoas, that would have been done without any
danger, as caracoas are vessels which can be sunk with only the
oar of a galley. He went out to look for the Mindanaos; and as he
left by night, because of the proximity of the Dutch, he was not
perceived, and found the Mindanaos in the best position that could be
desired. The Mindanaos were intent on, and desirous of, gaining honor,
for they were stationed with all their fleet within a river called
Baco in the island of Mindoro. The galleys having been stationed at
the mouth of the river, it was impossible for even a single caracoa
to escape. Consequently when the enemy learned that the galleys were
there, they were disturbed, and let go their prize, and begged the
captives to intercede for them. They were determined, on seeing the
galleys, to desert their caracoas, and to go inland into the forests,
where not one would have escaped. But the courage to undertake the
most glorious enterprise (and one of importance for all the kingdom)
that could be offered was lacking; and, turning about, the galleys
went to another island, under pretense that there was a heavy wind,
and that they did not dare enter until it ceased, in order not to run
the risk of losing a galley. However that withdrawal was not without
profit, for they met one of the ships that had sailed for Nueva Espana
from Manila, which was coming back to port; and had the latter not been
warned it would have fallen into the hands of the Dutch, being ignorant
that they were at the mouth of the bay. Thereupon, although the wind
ceased at midnight, the galleys did not return until the afternoon of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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