. The enemy had ten galleons, of varying
capacity; and it was even told as truth that they were bringing lime
and the other supplies for settling in Ilong-ilong. But later, when
the matter was better considered, it must have been seen that their
residence there would not be productive of any profit, but rather
of a very great expense. Besides, it would be very difficult to send
them aid; while our troops could easily oust them, as the island is
ours. The commandant of the town of Arevalo, also its alcalde-mayor
and overseer-general, without mincing words, was no more a man than
is a hen. Even in bravery, a hen is more than he; since the hen, upon
seeing the approach of the kite, is aroused, and becomes a lioness in
order to guard her chicks. But this person, by name Antonio de Jarez de
Montero, did no more than to run away, although he had troops to meet
the enemy face to face. He had assembled more than two thousand Indians
from those encomiendas; he had more than two hundred Spaniards. And
so when the Indians saw, the night before, the signal which had been
made from the island of Imalus, [32] they fled, and not one was to
be seen next day; and all of the Spaniards who could, went also. In
the morning, Monday, on such and such a day of October, the enemy
appeared, and came straight to the port of Ilong-ilong, as if they
had frequented it for many years. Thereupon, the alcalde-mayor fled
inland, without taking thought for anything. Thus the field--where had
four Spaniards remained, they would have performed great deeds--was
left to the enemy. I was living at that time in Otong, where father
Fray Juan de Lecea [33] was prior, a most exemplary religious. Father
Fray Silvestre de Torres, [34] who had come from Japon, was likewise
a conventual of that place. We did the same as the others. We stored
aboard a caracoa the most valuable things of the convent, and buried
the rest. We ordered the Indians to remain with the caracoa among those
creeks, of which there are many. They did so, and hence all the things
aboard the caracoa and those buried were found afterward. The enemy,
not meeting any opposition, landed, came to the town of Arevalo, and
set fire to it all. They burned our convent, which was quite fine and
built of wood They burned that of Salog also, an excellent convent,
which even yet has not been rebuilt. The enemy suffered greatly on
the road, for that season in the islands is the rainy season. We went
to the conve