In the village of Cauayan there lives an Indian woman of rank, already advanced in years, whom our Lord has inspired with zeal for winning souls and for the conversion of her people.  She devotes herself to persuading, preparing, and catechizing the Indians for holy baptism; and whenever we visit that doctrina, she has a troop collected, and well instructed, for us to baptize.  In this place I baptized twelve adults, and four or five younger persons.  In all the other villages the people are very well disposed, and a great harvest will be continually gathered, with the help of our Lord.”

In the measure of this fervor does our Lord correspondingly bestow upon them visits and spiritual consolations, most liberally accorded by His Divine Majesty to these His new faithful.  Of these we have already given some general account, and now I will relate in detail one case, only, in the words of Father Francisco de Otaco, who wrote from Tinagon, before he departed thence to be superior in Dulac:  “There came today from Catubig a Christian Indian, a youth of about sixteen years, to hear mass and make his confession; it was a long and toilsome journey.  He showed much candor and goodness, and special affection for the things of Christianity, speaking of them with intelligence and appreciation.  He related to me an incident that had befallen him, which had been the cause of that interest and intelligence.  He was sick, and, fearing that the hour of death was already at hand, he charged a companion of his to place at the head of his bed, at the last hour, a cross and some lighted candles.  His end approached, so near that all regarded him as one already dead, and his companion fulfilled the charge that had been given him.  Then, he said, he became as one who dreams, although it seemed to him to be more than dreaming, and even quite different.  There appeared at his right side a father of the Society, holding in his hand a rosary of our Lady:  upon his head he bore a diadem of golden brightness and a halo of the same splendor encompassed his breast.  The apparition, calling him by name in affectionate terms, said to him:  ’Turn this way, my son, to the right side, which is that of the elect, and count these beads.  Thou wert to die of this sickness; but, because thou art a Christian, our Lord has been pleased to give thee life and health; but it is only that thou mayest be a good Christian, always remembering our Lord, living in prayer and carefully guarding thyself from every sin—­that is, from all that offends the sight of God.’  Having in a long discourse given him other profitable counsels, the figure disappeared; and the sick man regained his consciousness, as if he had been resuscitated (for all thought him really dead), and with sudden energy began to speak.  He asked for food, and soon felt much better, to the astonishment of all who were present.  These, terrified at such a change, inquired from him its cause, and he related to them the above occurrence—­attributing