The enemy left the islands after that, whereupon father Fray Juan de Lecea, as a true father to the end—­and what he grieved over, was, in truth, the leading astray of his flock—­went down from the mountains, as soon as he learned that the enemy were not in Otong, and reached (although not without many tears), those sites where had been the convent, and where the true God had been worshiped.  He began to gather together those dear wretched beings, and gave them alms of the little that he had.  Finally, with God’s help, those natives gradually came down from the mountains and assembled in their village, where they began to build their houses anew.  Father Fray Juan de Lecea showed so excellent management that he soon had a habitation.  I left the upland then and went to the visita of Guimbal, where the enemy had not been.  From that place I sent Father Lecea men, and what [supplies] I could, so that the work might progress.  There by the Lord’s pleasure, the Tinguianes of that visita, who had never consented to build a church, nor have the father visit them, at length, through the Lord’s mercy, ceased their obduracy.  They built me a church, and I baptized many of them, both children at the breast and those somewhat older, and adults.  If I have done any service to the Lord in that place, I pray His Majesty to receive it as a partial payment for my many acts of disservice.

On my departure from all those mountains, and my return to Otong, I found already a church and small dwelling-house built, and another under way, larger and more commodious, which was soon finished, until it finally became a very handsome edifice.

The convent of Salog was being rebuilt in better style; and the Indians were again settling in the village, although not as in the beginning.

From that place I was exchanged to the convent of Dumalag, by order of the vicar-provincial of the island, the father commissary, Fray Antonio de Torres.  While I was there the father provincial came to visit, and there happened the above.  The result of his visit was to send me as prior to Dumangas, which I opposed to my utmost, as I had left two other priorates because of my ill-health.  But obedience had to force my will.  When I arrived there, even yet the Spaniards were in that river.  At last, seeing that they could go, they retired, and my parishioners were more free to attend to their souls, to their houses, to their villages, and to their church, which had been destroyed.  Finally, it was the Lord’s will that I built there a church and house of wood, and larger in size [than the former one].