val engagement off the coast. He was
soon undeceived, for four old natives suddenly called out, "Father,
let us flee!" and on his inquiry they informed him that the island had
burst, hence the noise. Daylight came and exposed to view an immense
column of smoke gushing from the summit of the volcano, and here and
there from its sides smaller streams rose like plumes. He was joyed
at the spectacle, which interested him so profoundly that he did not
heed the exhortations of the natives to escape from the grand but
awful scene. It was a magnificent sight to watch mountains of sand
hurled from the lake into the air in the form of erect pyramids,
and then falling again like the stream from a fountain jet. Whilst
contemplating this imposing phenomenon with tranquil delight, a
strong earthquake came and upset everything in the convent. Then he
reflected that it might be time to go; pillars of sand ascended out
of the water nearer to the shore of the town, and remained erect,
until, by a second earthquake, they, with the trees on the islet,
were violently thrown down and submerged in the lake. The earth
opened out here and there as far as the shores of the Laguna de Bay,
and the lands of Sala and Tanauan shifted. Streams found new beds and
took other courses, whilst in several places trees were engulfed in
the fissures made in the soil. Houses, which one used to go up into,
one now had to go down into, but the natives continued to inhabit
them without the least concern. The volcano, on this occasion, was
in activity for three weeks; the first three days ashes fell like
rain. After this incident, the natives extracted sulphur from the
open crater, and continued to do so until the year 1754.

In that year (1754), the same chronicler continues, between nine and
ten o'clock at night on May 15, the volcano ejected boiling lava,
which ran down its sides in such quantities that only the waters
of the lake saved the people on shore from being burnt. Towards the
north, stones reached the shore and fell in a place called Bayoyongan,
in the jurisdiction of Taal. Stones and fire incessantly came from
the crater until June 2, when a volume of smoke arose which seemed
to meet the skies. It was clearly seen from Bauan, which is on a low
level about four leagues (14 miles) from the lake.

Matters continued so until July 10, when there fell a heavy shower
of mud as black as ink. The wind changed its direction and a suburb
of Sala, called Balil