The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 326 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55.

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 326 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55.
Then they seized their catans, which are sharper and more curved than our cutlasses, and each Chinese commenced, without disturbing the silence, to strike his neighboring Spaniard; and then, with the increase of their fury, to behead all those who were sleeping.  More than sixty had embarked on the flagship, among them the servants of the governor, and others, old soldiers, who in order to oblige and accommodate him were enduring discomfort.  They had been gambling all the night; and being tired, and because of the excessive heat, were sleeping naked, some in the midship gangway, others on the benches, while the more favored ones, to whom were given better quarters, slept aft.  The governor went into his cabin to sleep.  The Chinese proceeded to slaughter those who, suspecting nothing, were sleeping; it was done so quickly that when some of those asleep in the stern awakened, the other Spaniards were already dead.  The guard did not perceive it, and such carelessness could admit of no excuse, for they had been sufficiently warned, and examples had preceded.  Some waked, but finding themselves wounded and confused, jumped overboard, where most of them were drowned.  Some—­a very few—­jumped overboard before being wounded, but they were also drowned, although they were near shore, for they could not reach land because of the strength of the current.  Twelve escaped, and many dead bodies were found on the beach.  The Chinese, now grown bolder, seized the pikes that they had hidden under the benches, and with outcries completed their treachery.  The governor, who was sleeping below the hatchway, with a lantern or candle, awaked.  In order to awaken him, the Chinese themselves began purposely to make a greater noise; while they cried out to him and begged him to come out and settle a quarrel among the “Castillas,” as they call the Spaniards.  He, either for that reason, or thinking that the galley was dragging as on other occasions, arose in his shirt, opened the hatchway, looked out, and pushed his body half way through it.  At that same time, the Chinese fell upon him with their cutlasses, and fatally wounded him.  They cleft his head, transfixed him with their pikes, and ran him through with more than barbaric ferocity.  Perceiving that his death was near at hand, he retired, and took the prayer-book of his order, which he always kept with him, and an image of our Lady.  Between those two refuges, which were later found bathed in his blood, he yielded up his life.  However he did not die immediately, for they found him later in his bed, tightly holding the image, where he bled to death.  About him were the bodies of Daniel Gomez de Leon, his valet, Pantaleon de Brito, Suero Diaz, Juan de Chaves, Pedro Maseda, Juan de San Juan, Carrion Ponce, and Francisco Castillo—­all servants of his—­besides the bodies of four very valiant slaves, who merited the same end.  The outcome was not learned until dawn, for not one of the Chinese dared enter the governor’s room
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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.