provincial of the Society of Jesus gave two fathers from his residence, to instruct them.  All assembled at the town of Arevalo, where the chief commandant of these provinces lives, one Juan Claudio de Verastigui, who was ordered to set out immediately for Mindanao with his fleet, whither he himself is going in person with his ships.  The alcalde-mayor of this city [25] is going to aid with fifty other soldiers for the said purpose.  A good result is hoped from it, and that either by friendship of by force they will get a piece of artillery and some ammunition from the Mindanaos that they took one year ago from the governor.  The latter ordered Don Juan Claudio not to return without it.

The occasion for that piece belonging to his Majesty remaining in Mindanao was that Cachil Coralat, the natural lord of Mindanao, seeing himself pressed by a tyrant in his kingdom, and seeing himself conquered in a battle that they fought with him, hastened to this city of Zebu to ask the Spaniards for help, sending one of his captains for it.  The latter was well entertained, and the piece was given to him among other presents, twelve Spaniards and some ammunition being also furnished with it.  After the twelve Spaniards had been there for some time, they were withdrawn, some say through fault of the Mindanaos, and others that of the Spaniards.  Consequently, as they left in haste, the piece of artillery remained in Coralat’s possession.  At this time, the Mindanaos from Manila having reached Octong, the piece was requested from them in his Majesty’s name, or satisfaction for it.  The Spaniards took from them some gold and equivalent articles in exchange, and tried to capture some of them by means of an alferez, adjutant, and soldiers.  The Mindanaos, however, put themselves on the defensive so courageously, and with so great wrath (or rather barbarity), that their chief, one Salin—­in the midst of the Spanish force and arms, and in front of a fort that his Majesty has there—­drawing a dagger, plunged it into the adjutant through his groin and left him stretched out.  The officer next to the alferez—­who was a fine soldier, and, like the other, was on the inner guard in the Sangley ship on which they had come—­defended himself as well as he could, but was finally killed by a stroke of a campilan (a Mindanao weapon); and they took away his sword and dagger.  Seeing our soldiers, who were in their guardship unprepared, the Mindanaos threw them overboard, and, cutting the cable, made off with the ship.  However, when that was seen by our men, they quickly prepared boats and pursued them with a goodly number of soldiers and killed them with arquebus-shots.  Salin, wounded in the breast, fell into the water, but did not loose his hold on his campilan.  There, while struggling with the waves, he saw a Spaniard who had fallen overboard in the fray, hanging on to a rope from a pirogue, who, as he could not swim, was being carried along, thus held fast.  Salin made for him, and, wounded as he was, gave him in his fury so severe a blow with his campilan that he split the Spaniard’s head, from which blow he died.  Of the Spaniards, three men were killed; and, of the Mindanaos, three were wounded and six killed, besides two wounded who were taken prisoners.