underneath a great number of sacks of flour, the question was answered in the negative.  Thereupon the general allowed it to pass, and gave it an arrogant message for the governor.  In this he said that his Lordship might well be preparing his fleet little by little, which he [the Dutch general] would await a long time; that he just now had learned that galleons were being built in the shipyards, but that the governor should not be disturbed; that, indeed, if it were necessary, he would go with his men to aid in finishing and launching them, just for the opportunity of fighting them; that this was what he most desired, as he had strong hopes of victory, which would be glorious in proportion to his Lordship’s nobility; and that he therefore would welcome the governor’s coming.  This message the Hollanders sent with the Japanese ship.  Later on, another Japanese ship came along; and, as it carried a chapa, it was able to enter.  Then a Spanish ship, which likewise came from Japon, arrived; but, as it carried no license, it came by a different route, to avoid falling into the enemy’s hands, and took shelter in another port of the islands before coming to the city.  A Portuguese ship coming from Macan did the same, and thus the enemy captured nothing.

Four Ternatan slaves fled to the enemy, at which the latter were much elated.  When the slaves reached them the Hollanders were seen from this city to discharge some pieces of artillery.  One morning later on, when the Hollanders wished to land upon a beach not far from Manila, to take some recreation, they sent these slaves ahead that, like house-thieves, they might spy out the land.  Information had just come that the enemy were accustomed to disembark in that neighborhood, so two companies were sent to lie in ambush to deal them some blow.  The slaves landed, and our men seeing them, attacked them, killed two, and captured the other two alive.  From these we learned in detail the forces which the enemy had.  When the latter saw that his scouts did not return with the information, he was afraid to disembark.  If he had landed, he might well have expected us to have won a very signal victory.  In the shipyard feverish efforts were made to finish at least one vessel in time for service this year.  Nearly three thousand men—­Spaniards, Indians, Chinese, and others—­were employed in this construction.  From this may be gathered what our missions must have suffered in the Pintados Islands, in the midst of which the ship was being built, since almost all the Indians who worked there were from our doctrinas.  So large was the equipment, and so great was the zeal shown in the work, that early in March a very beautiful galleon was finished, which would mount forty pieces.  Then the difficulty arose, where they could enter to join the other galleons and galleys in the port of Cabique, for the enemy remained stubbornly in the mouth of the bay.  But as soon as he drew aside a little, notice was quickly given in order that they might bring in the galleon, and it entered on the twenty-fifth of April, with four galleys which had gone out to accompany it in.