They killed and captured many, and among them a Spanish
woman, and thereupon they retired triumphant.
However they were surprised that so few Castilians,
as they say, made front for so long against so many
of their men. The king left a letter for the
governor; and one of the seigniors of Europa could
not apparently write more prudently or in more just
manner. He said in the letter that he had made
that demonstration because a chief of his named Achen,
having been sent as ambassador to Manila, had been
ill-treated here. He had been thrust into prison
and his possessions taken away from him, among them
three exceedingly beautiful pearls of extraordinary
size, such as are obtained in that kingdom and island.
It is a fact that all the above was done to his ambassador
Achen; but the reason for it was because, after he
had been honorably despatched from Manila in order
that he might return to his country, he sailed out
with his vessel, which resembled a beautiful small
galley, pillaging all whom he met. Consequently,
men were sent against him; and they captured him on
his way and took him to Manila, where they took away
his possessions and imprisoned him. Although
they might have hanged him, they did not do so, but
despatched him to his country once more. He returned
thence for the second time as ambassador, with a very
haughty and arrogant message. They sent him away,
and he went to the limits of these Filipinas Islands;
and as soon as he thought that he would be safe, began
to pillage, and took refuge [with his allies].
Accordingly the king of Jolo was ill informed in what
he wrote. The latter, on leaving the shipyard,
attacked another of our islands, called Bantayan,
where he was resisted by three Spaniards and one secular
priest with arquebuses, until their powder was gone.
That happened during the night; and then the Spaniards
and the ecclesiastic retired, whereupon the Joloans
landed. Inasmuch as the island abounds in certain
large thorns, which form its greatest defense against
a barefooted enemy, such as are the Joloans, they
wore as a protection certain wooden shoes resembling
coarse leather sandals [abarca] with which they
landed. They captured many of the natives.
Then they attacked Ogonuc, a village in charge of
the fathers of the Society, and pillaged it, as well
as what our house and church contained, even to the
bells. The father was not there, and so they
did not capture him. The enemy took heavy spoils
in everything; but, what was a cause for greater pain,
they captured more than three hundred Indians.
They sell them as slaves to heathen kingdoms, and
in the end the slaves become like the masters.
While the above was happening, as report of it had
already gone forth, the commandant of Cebu and lieutenant
of the captain-general, Christobal de Lugo, prepared
his fleet of caracoas, in order to go out to engage
the enemy and take away their booty. He sailed
out and sighted the enemy at two in the afternoon.
The enemy, seeing him, began to flee; and in order