forth.  He cut another, and rice came out.  These articles he had hidden there cunningly and adroitly.  Consequently those men were convinced, and became preachers of those lies, which the Indians love and believe so readily; while we have no power to enable us to persuade them of the certainty of our faith so readily as this sort of trickery can influence their natural disposition.  In such manner spread the spark that there was no island where it did not catch little or much; although they did not dare to show their faces, but awaited the result in Bohol.  The fathers warned the city of Santisimo Nombre de Jesus, and came to solicit aid from the alcalde-mayor.  Here there were no evil-doers among those [natives] who lived in the city.  Don Juan de Alcarazo did not dare [to send out troops], as he had no order from the governor, Don Alonso Fajardo, and it might be imputed to him as a blameworthy act.  But the fathers, seeing that whatever delay occurred was to make the wound incurable, surmounted all difficulties.  Consequently, they were able to negotiate with potent arguments, saying that it was especially important to check the evil in its first stages, so that it should not spread.  The alcalde-mayor was persuaded, and assembled the soldiers and adventurers who appeared most suitable to him, besides a number of Sugbu Indians, armed with sword and buckler.  With these he landed in Bohol, and went to look for the enemy—­who, courageous in their mountains and supplied with rice, thought that they were most safe, and that victory was sure.

But the most diligent effort made by this gentleman was to go to our convent to have a mass said to the Holy Child, before whom many candles were burned; to promise to take Him as patron; and to perform no action in that war which should not be done in His name.  Since His [Divine] Majesty, he said, had, by His favor, given those islands to the Spaniards, he prayed that He would not permit them to lose, for his sins, those that they already possessed.  For the Christianity founded therein with so great toil would be wholly lost, and the victorious enemies of His name would leave no kind of evil undone to the conquered, to the contempt of His name.  The most Holy Child showed Himself very gracious, as is His custom in events [that are to be] prosperous, whereupon victory was regarded as sure.  Encouraged by such omens, they did not hesitate to attack the enemy, who were entrenched in their fields.  The latter were insolent, and reenforced with allies and supporters.  During the battle, the rain was so heavy that they could not use the arquebuses, so that the enemy were beginning to prevail.  Thereupon, the shields of the Sugbu Indians were brought into service, and the latter aided excellently, by guarding with them the powder-flasks and powder-pans of the arquebuses, so that they were fired with heavy loss [to the enemy].  When the shower of rain came, the enemy’s babaylan encouraged them by saying that there they could see