Upon the day that this occurred, some Spaniards happened to be in our church with father Fray Pedro de Torres, and they saw that the Child was laughing. This was the church that had been built by the said father Fray Pedro de Torres--a fatal one, I call it. For four days after the fleet had left, on the eighth of the same month, while I was in the refectory dining with the Recollect fathers, whom I had brought to our convent, another Recollect came from Manila, who was coming to be ordained. While recounting to him the misfortune that had occurred, the prior said: "Tell me, brother, if you saw this convent ablaze, would you not feel compassion?" We went up stairs, and at one o'clock the fire began in the middle of the city, to the windward. It originated from some tobacco; cursed be it, and the harm that that infernal plant has brought, which must have come from hell. The wind was brisk, and blowing toward the convent. In short, everything was burned, though we saved the silver and whatever was possible. The Holy Child willed to allow His house and most of the city to be burned, although no two houses had ever before been burned in that city at the same time. This happened on Saturday, the eve of Passion Sunday. I gathered together all that escaped from the convent of San Nicolas, and set about going to Manila, to repair that loss as far as possible. While on the way to the island of Panay, my boat was overturned by a heavy storm, and it was a miracle that I escaped with my life--which happened, through God's mercy, by the efforts of my Sugbu Indians. Finally when the storm was appeased, I reached the convent of Salog, without shoes, naked, and perishing of hunger, on the fifteenth of the said month of April. The father of that convent, called father Fray Francisco de Oliva, [71] and all the others of that island, aided both the convent, and me especially, with the greatest charity. Thus I obtained there two very large contributions of all necessary for the convent. I found father Fray Esteban de Peralta, definitor of the province, there visiting the island. I went to Manila with him, where I tried to go from Manila to Espana. The superior did not impose obedience in regard to it, so that I turned all my efforts to caring for my house, for which many religious aided from their stores with great charity.