who had all spent a wretched night, and were without shelter.

The sun soon shone splendidly; the sky was cloudless; but my sadness
was extreme when, from a window, I examined the disasters produced
by the typhoon. There was no village! Every hut was levelled to the
ground. The church was thrown down--my store-houses, my sugar factory,
were entirely destroyed; there was then nothing more than heaps of
ruins. My fine cane-fields were altogether destroyed, and the country,
which previously had appeared so beautiful, seemed as if it had passed
through a long wintry season. There was no longer any verdure to be
seen; the trees were entirely leafless, with their boughs broken, and
portions of the wood were entirely torn down; and all this devastation
had taken place within a few hours. During that and the following day
the lake threw up, upon the shore, the bodies of several unfortunate
Indians who had perished. The first care of Padre Miguel was to
bury the dead, and for a long time afterwards there were to be seen,
in the grave-yard of Jala-Jala, crosses, with the inscription: "An
unknown who died during the typhoon." My Indians began immediately to
rebuild their huts, and I, as far as possible, to repair my disasters.

The fertile nature of the Philippine islands speedily effaced the
aspect of mourning which it had assumed. In less than eight days
the trees were completely covered with new leaves, and exhibited
themselves as in a brilliant summer, after the frightful winter had
passed over. The typhoon had embraced a diameter of about two leagues,
and, like a violent hurricane, had upset and shattered everything it
met during its course.

But enough of disasters: I return to the epoch when the death of poor
Bermigan caused affliction to us all.

All was prosperity in my dwelling: my Indians were happy; the
population of Jala-Jala increased every day; I was beloved and
respected. I had rendered great service to the Spanish government
by the incessant warfare I carried on against the bandits; and I may
say that even amongst them I enjoyed a high reputation. They looked
upon me, indeed, as their enemy, but in the light of a brave enemy,
incapable of committing any act of baseness against them, and who
carried on an honourable warfare; and the Indian character was so
well known to me, that I did not fear they would play me any low
tricks, or would treacherously attack me. Such was my conviction,
that around my house I was