were in a difficult situation because their comrades were so few, and the Malays, their enemies, were in such favor. The captain of the ship [i.e., Mendoza] attempted to secure peace between these factions, but did not disembark from his vessel. The same thing was done by the captain of a fragata that had come from Sian. The Malays, seeing that they had the advantage because their vessel was larger and stronger than ours, made an attack and shot contrivances of fire and powder to burn the Spaniards and the Japanese. The ship caught fire, and those on board had to leap into the water to escape. Father Fray Pedro de Jesus was unable to swim, and took refuge from the fire on the poop. Here the Moros came out in small boats and thrust lances at him. He fell into the water and died of his wounds, or was drowned by the hands of the Moros. This vessel had done no harm to the Moros, and had not even tried to aid the Spanish captains in the kingdom. The only reason for attacking it was the desire of the Moros to prevent the preaching of the gospel; and hence father Fray Pedro died a glorious martyr. Father Fray Juan succeeded in reaching the fragata commanded by Juan de Mendoça. In it father Fray Juan made his escape to Sian, being wounded in the throat by a shot which had passed obliquely through it; and thus half of the prophecy had been fulfilled that he and his comrade were to die the death of martyrs. Father Fray Juan went to Sian that he might be near to the kingdom of Camboja. The king of that country was a cruel and barbarous tyrant; he took delight in causing men to be thrown to wild elephants, who tore them to pieces with their trunks. He caused others to be fried with a very small quantity of oil, and their flesh to be torn off from them with pincers while they were thus tortured, and to be thrust into their mouths, that by force of the pain which they suffered they might bite and eat their own flesh. When there were no criminals, he used to perpetrate these cruelties solely for his own recreation; and that not to one, or a few, but to a thousand at a time. Only a few days before, he had had four or five Portuguese fried alive for some trifling offense, for which they had already paid a fine to him. There were here at this time a Portuguese religious, Fray Jorje de la Mota, [27] and several other Portuguese who were now trying to escape from the country. The force of the tides is so great that, when the tide is coming in, it is impossible to make head against it; and as they were fifty leguas from the sea, it was easy to follow and catch them. Overjoyed with the possibility of escape offered by the coming of Father Juan, they prayed him for the love of God to rescue them in his boat without the knowledge of the king. The Spaniards planned to do so; but, because of the too great haste and anxiety of the Portuguese, the vessel was followed and found before it had made its escape into the sea. The