ith the greatest diligence
and care, in thirty-two days. When I came to this city to give your
Lordship an account of the good condition of the fleet--in order that
it might be immediately arranged who was to go out in it, and the
soldiers and seamen who were to embark--considering the fact that
the corsair still remained near this bay, your Lordship, influenced
by urgent causes and reasons, ordered and commanded me in writing,
in the name of our lord the king, to set out with the volunteers of
this city, who were placed at my disposal for this expedition. It was
understood that I was to conduct this expedition, and, with another
body composed of hired soldiers from this district, was to go out as
quickly as possible in search of the enemy, and was to fight with him
until I overcame him or sent him to the bottom. There were many other
conditions which are contained more fully in the letter of instructions
which your Lordship gave me, signed and sealed, to which I refer. In
fulfilment of this, and only for the service of God and of our lord
the king (which service your Lordship commended to me so strongly),
leaving my house and quiet life, leaving my wife and nine children,
I obeyed your Lordship's command. At my own cost, without having
anything supplied from the royal treasury either to myself or to the
volunteers who were with me, and who formed the larger part of all
the body, I embarked on the fleet on the twelfth day of the month of
December of the aforesaid year, taking as flagship the vessel "San
Diego," which is of about two hundred tons burden; and in its convoy
the ship "San Bartolome" as admiral's ship, of the same burden,
in command of the captain Joan de Alcega, admiral of the fleet,
and other small vessels for the service of the fleet.

That same day I set sail from the port of Cavite in search of the
enemy; and on the following Thursday, the fourteenth of December,
I came in sight of him. Both ships of his fleet were anchored near
the mouth of the bay at the point of Balagtigui, with his boats at
the stern. The flagship of the enemy, from behind, was very easily
seen to be a strong vessel, but the admiral's ship was not. When
he discovered the two ships of the royal fleet and saw that we were
keeping together, in order jointly to board and attack his flagship,
he weighed anchor; and, after sending the said admiral's ship out
to sea under all sail, in order to divide us, thinking that one of
our ships wou