the country until they should be sent from Nueva Espana.  To this he answered that, on the contrary, it seemed to him that we wished to take possession of the land of his king, with the intention of passing over into China and other regions which were likewise his, thus breaking the compact made between the kings of Castilla and Portugal.  That was satisfactorily answered by me, in the above manner, and I assured him that my intention was not to injure his king in anything whatever, or to seize anything belonging to him, because such was the injunction imposed upon me by his Majesty.  All this did not prove sufficient, and he said that he could not go away from here unless either he took us away, or we left the country immediately.  He began to issue some written injunctions, which, together with our answer to them, accompany the present letter, so that your Excellency may know what occurred.  My intention was always to avoid giving him occasion for commencing hostilities; but it availed little, for without any cause whatever he started the war, and began to demolish with his artillery some gabions we had built on the coast for our defense.  He blockaded both entrances to this port with his ships, to prevent us from bringing in provisions or anything else, as will be confirmed by the testimony accompanying this letter; and declared that, if they could not capture us by any other means, they would do so by hunger.  Thus he besieged us for nearly three months, and the harm which he could not inflict upon the Spaniards he inflicted upon the natives of the neighborhood who were our friends.  He burned and destroyed seven or eight towns, and gave the natives to understand that this land belonged to the king of Portugal.  He said that we were thieves on a plundering expedition, and that the Portuguese would destroy and kill those who befriended us.  From this we clearly saw and understood the good-will with which they had come.  Many towns which had been won to us have withdrawn from our friendship, especially those lying along the coast of Mindanao, where cinnamon is bartered.  These towns the Portuguese injured, and captured and took away some of the people.  On the New Year’s Day just passed, they raised the blockade and departed; for God, our lord, in His infinite goodness and mercy was pleased, through the very means by which they thought to defeat us, to force them to depart—­namely, because of lack of provisions; although at their departure they threatened to return soon and take us away by force.

After the blockade had been raised, and we saw the great need and distress into which they had brought us, the captains and leaders of the camp discussed the course which was to be taken for our defense in case the Portuguese should return hither, as they are likely to do.  All agreed that we should change our location and settlement, because it would be impossible to defend ourselves here where they could, simply by closing the entrances to the port, as they did at