would not be productive of any profit, but rather of a very great expense.  Besides, it would be very difficult to send them aid; while our troops could easily oust them, as the island is ours.  The commandant of the town of Arevalo, also its alcalde-mayor and overseer-general, without mincing words, was no more a man than is a hen.  Even in bravery, a hen is more than he; since the hen, upon seeing the approach of the kite, is aroused, and becomes a lioness in order to guard her chicks.  But this person, by name Antonio de Jarez de Montero, did no more than to run away, although he had troops to meet the enemy face to face.  He had assembled more than two thousand Indians from those encomiendas; he had more than two hundred Spaniards.  And so when the Indians saw, the night before, the signal which had been made from the island of Imalus, [32] they fled, and not one was to be seen next day; and all of the Spaniards who could, went also.  In the morning, Monday, on such and such a day of October, the enemy appeared, and came straight to the port of Ilong-ilong, as if they had frequented it for many years.  Thereupon, the alcalde-mayor fled inland, without taking thought for anything.  Thus the field—­where had four Spaniards remained, they would have performed great deeds—­was left to the enemy.  I was living at that time in Otong, where father Fray Juan de Lecea [33] was prior, a most exemplary religious.  Father Fray Silvestre de Torres, [34] who had come from Japon, was likewise a conventual of that place.  We did the same as the others.  We stored aboard a caracoa the most valuable things of the convent, and buried the rest.  We ordered the Indians to remain with the caracoa among those creeks, of which there are many.  They did so, and hence all the things aboard the caracoa and those buried were found afterward.  The enemy, not meeting any opposition, landed, came to the town of Arevalo, and set fire to it all.  They burned our convent, which was quite fine and built of wood They burned that of Salog also, an excellent convent, which even yet has not been rebuilt.  The enemy suffered greatly on the road, for that season in the islands is the rainy season.  We went to the convent of Baong, one day’s journey inland from the town, although we spent more than two in reaching it.  I, although sick, was first to arrive.  The prior of that convent was Father Diego Oseguera. [35] Although the convent was poor, yet they acted as if they were wealthy.  They shared all the rice and beef of the convent with all [the fugitives] who kept coming every moment, without taking account of anything.  The convent of Otong, besides its building, lost a ranch of cattle which it owned then of more than five hundred head and others of mares of more than one hundred head.  For as the cattle were tame and came to their usual resorts, the enemy caught some and shot others.  The fathers of the Society lost much also.  The rector of their college there was, at that time, Father Encinas, [36] a man of uncommon holiness.  He also came to Baong, by short relays, and lived in our convents until his order summoned him.