Don Juan de Silva learned the news of the galleons and determined to send a patache to Macan, and as its commander, Pilot Juan Gallegos, in order to purchase some ammunition and to go thence to Malaca.  He ordered the four galleons to await him in the Strait, saying that he had resolved to pass there, and that all would go together to attack the factory of Xava, the chief factory of the enemy, which had no fortress; thence they would go to Banda and to Maluco.  That would have been a very suitable idea if it could have been executed during the season for navigation.  Juan Gallegos went to Macan, and thence to the Strait of Cincapura, where he found six Dutch galleons and one patache.  They seized him, and learned from him of the coming of Don Juan de Silva with so large a force.  They did not dare await the latter and so left the Strait.  Shortly after Don Juan de Silva arrived, two ships of Goa came from China with the goods and merchandise from India, which it was our Lord’s will to save in that way.

Before the enemy happened to seize the patache of Juan Gallegos, they had negotiated with the king of Hachen, a country located in the island of Samatra, near the Strait, in regard to uniting with them to attack Malaca with more than four hundred craft, that would hold more than forty thousand men.  That king fought with the galleons, and his presence there was of great importance.  He burned one galleon, but returned without accomplishing any other exploit, although he carried a quantity of large artillery.  After the king had gone, the Dutch arrived.  What they did was to burn the three remaining galleons in the river of Malaca.  Then they went to the Strait, where they captured Juan Gallegos, as above stated.  The Portuguese gained little reputation—­or to say better, lost much—­in not defending themselves.  But since it is not my intention to meddle with another jurisdiction, I shall not discuss that.

Don Juan de Silva left Manila with ten galleons—­larger than have been seen in Europa—­and four galleys, on February 28, 1616.  He laid his course toward the Strait, as he thought that he would find there the four galleys from Goa, in accordance with the order that he had sent.  He learned what had happened in the Strait; and although he might have gone to Bantan, in Xava Major, to avenge the injury, since he might expect to find the enemy there—­and he might at least have destroyed that factory and exacted satisfaction for what had been done—­he did not choose to do so, but left the galleons anchored in the Strait, while he went to Malaca with the galleys.  There he was received under the pall with great solemnity, honored with great festivities, and called that city’s savior, since the ships had taken flight because of his coming.  Don Juan became sorely perplexed, and could not come to a decision as to whether to careen his vessels and wait until the following year for the viceroy of Goa, or whether to return to Manila.  Death overtook him in that perplexity, on April 19 of the same year.