attack them. [32] Therefore in
the twinkling of an eye, the Spaniards attacked and took the palisade,
hurling down the bombardiers with linstock in hand, giving them no
chance to fulfil their duties. After this first artillery had fallen
into their hands, they immediately took the town, and set fire to it,
on account of its being large. The Moros abandoned the burning town,
for they were unable to resist the attack of the arquebusiers, or
rather the will of God, who had ordained it so--a self evident fact,
since for every Spaniard there were a hundred Moros. The large ship was
firing upon a Moro boat with long-bladed oars, which was far up the
river. This vessel was said to have three or four hundred fighting
men and rowers on board, with many culverins and large pieces of
artillery. The cannonball struck the water, for the vessel was some
distance away, surrounded by more than five hundred Moro _praus_
and other large ships full of armed men, bowmen, and lancers. All
these ships were scattered by the artillery of the large junk.

The town was rapidly burning. The master-of-camp hurriedly took the
artillery from the Moros--thirteen pieces, small and large. He took
care to protect the vessels of the Chinese, who had been greatly
frightened. He ordered the return of the sails and helms which the
Moros had taken away from them; and the Chinese, attaching the helms to
their ships as quickly as they could, proceeded to cast anchor near the
junk, so that the firing should do them no harm. The master-of-camp,
having captured the enemy's artillery, fired upon them with their own
pieces, while they were fleeing, thus inflicting upon them severe
losses, both on land and water. About one hundred dead were found
on land, having been burned to death, or slain by arquebus bullets;
more than eighty persons were taken captive; and many others were
killed in the _praus_, as they fled up the river. The rain expected
by the Moros came when the town was quite destroyed by fire. The loss
in the town was considerable, for it was large, and carried on an
extensive trade. In the town lived forty married Chinese and twenty
Japanese. Of these some came to see the master-of-camp on board the
ship, before the breaking out of hostilities, among whom was a Japanese
with a Theatin cap, from which we thought him to be a Christian. When
we asked him if he was one, he answered in the affirmative, saying
that his name was Pablo [Paul]. He adored an imag