made a half-way rudder and a jury-mast, and set sail
on the sea for Panay, from which they were not very
far. But, after sighting the land of Panay, so
furious a storm struck them that they were unable
to contend with it, as the champan lacked strength
in the rudder. They ran aground stern first on
the coast of Camarines, which was very near by, and
which they had been prevented from reaching by a calm,
and had been awaiting a slight breeze. It was
our Lord’s pleasure that they should be espied
by a fleet of Camucones, who were going through that
region, plundering whatever they might encounter in
their raids. These are a very warlike people,
and so cruel that, whenever they capture a Spaniard,
they will not let him escape alive under any consideration;
for after they have tied him to the mast of the boat,
they cut off his head and drink from the skull.
They slit the religious up the back and roast them,
or set them in the sun, for they say, just as we do,
“So many enemies the less.” Then
indeed did they re-commend themselves to St. Nicholas;
as they believed (and rightly) that this was a greater
danger than the past one, because of the less mercy
that they could find in the bowels of those utter
barbarians. At length, they boarded the tender
of the champan and rowed ashore. The glorious
saint whom they were taking as patron hid their route
from the Camucones in such wise that they were not
followed, for they could have easily been overtaken
in two strokes of the oar. They betook themselves
inland to the mountains, where their sufferings were
not abated, for they were barefoot and naked, until
they reached the convents of our father St. Francis,
where they found hospitable welcome, aid, care, and
provision. In their journeyings they reached
the shipyard, where a vessel was being built; for
it was necessary to get a champan there to go to Panay,
and they found one. They left the shipyard November
21, and reached Panay next day. After a few days
the enemy from Jolo went to the shipyard, burned it,
killed many people, captured others, took away the
artillery, and committed great damage, although there
were sufficient men in the shipyard to defend it from
a greater force. But the Spaniard can never be
persuaded of any danger, until it is upon him.
Juan Martin, the best and most reliable shipmaster
in the Filipinas, was killed there. It was a
great loss, for there was no other who could fill the
position like him. But the Lord did not choose
that the champan should be lost; for the Camucones
did not break it up, as is their wont, but abandoned
it after having plundered its articles of value—which
were considerable, and which caused great loss to the
province. The Sangleys, after seeing that the
enemy had gone, went out to the champan, righted it,
and returned it to its owner—who never lost
hope of obtaining it, for he believed thoroughly in
the saint. Sargento Jacinto de Lanzacorta, very
thankful for this, celebrates a feast to St. Nicholas
every year. Father Fray Pedro de Torres [67] says
that he arrived at Sugbu in the first part of February,
where he had been regarded as lost, for he was more
than five months in making the trip from Manila to
Sugbu. During the whole time he suffered very
many hardships, from which St. Nicholas freed him.
The most Holy Child returned to His house, so that
He might be served therein.