with Don Fernando de Silva, sargento-mayor of the camp of Manila, and an excellent soldier.  They stayed in Macan for some time, but the Portuguese, seeing that the Dutch enemy did not come, and that, even if they did come, the city was more than defended; and inasmuch as they did not get along very well with the Castilians, since there was considerable quarreling and strife between those of the two nations, tried to despatch them to Manila.  They did so, in a vessel that carried more than five hundred thousand ducados in merchandise.

The Spanish encountered so grievous a storm on their voyage that they were forced to put in at Siam, where they unladed their ship; and, trying to get over the bar of a river in order to relade, they were wrecked.  They bought in place of that ship two others, in order to go to Manila; but as the season was advanced, and they could not get away so quickly, they despatched a champan with some eight Spanish sailors.  The latter took some of the merchandise, and came to Manila to give news of what had happened.  At that time there was a Dutch patache established in the river of Siam, a very beautiful and large river.  That vessel had also entered and traded in that kingdom.  It was rumored among our men that that Dutch patache had captured the champan that our men were sending to Manila—­although such a rumor was untrue, for the said champan arrived safely at Manila.  But induced by that false report, Don Fernando de Silva, who was stationed some leguas up the river, having one day observed the Dutch patache attacked it at night with certain very small craft (I think they were two small boats or lanchas, for they had not bought larger vessels); and after fighting with the enemy, with the loss of only one Spaniard, captured the Dutch patache.  It had more than twenty thousand pesos in silver and merchandise, and the Dutch aboard it were captured.  Had the matter ended there, it would have been a fortunate result.  The king of Siam was informed of it, and sent a message to Don Fernando de Silva saying that he should set the Dutch at liberty and give them back their ship and the property which he had taken or captured from them, since it was captured while the Dutch were in his kingdom, under his royal favor and protection.  Don Fernando de Silva answered that he would not do so, and broke out in words that might well have been avoided toward the king.  The latter quickly collected a numerous fleet of boats, and one day attacked our ships with Japanese (who form the guard of that kingdom) and many Siamese.  Our men, fearing what would happen, were hurriedly embarking their merchandise, in order to come to Manila.  Our men began to serve the artillery, but there were so many hostile boats that they covered the water.  The Spanish craft ran aground in the confusion and danger, whereupon the Siamese (and chiefly the Japanese) entered the ships.  Don Fernando de Silva, with sword and buckler in hand, sold his life dearly, and others did the same.  But the enemy killed them except those who fled at the first stroke of the victory, who remained alive.  I think some thirty were captured.  The goods were pillaged, notwithstanding the fact that the king had ordered that good care be taken of them.