his house was burned. By dint of ringing the bells,
a number of people came in, but they could not prevent the burning
of the house. This happened March 9, 1628, at one o'clock in the
afternoon. It was a great pity, and cause for compassion; for the
convent, by the efforts of father Fray Pedro de San Nicolas, was very
well finished. He had been most diligent in both the building and the
furnishing and adornment of it; and his province lost more than five
thousand pesos by the fire.

Everything was well advanced for the expedition. Accordingly, all
the forces embarked, being accompanied by a father of the Society,
an Italian named Fabricio de Sorsale. The commander was a devotee
of the most Holy Child, although he did not take Him as patron this
time, a thing he was wont to do. Yet he would not go without bidding
Him farewell, which he did with great devotion, a ceremony which did
not lack many candles. The Child showed Himself so pleased, that I
was obliged to tell the commander that he should take comfort, and
that I promised him in the Child's name a very fortunate expedition,
as happened--and it would have been better, had they known how to use
their victory. The fleet left Sugbu on the fourth of the same month,
with more than one hundred Spaniards and three hundred Indians. There
were two captains of infantry, subordinate to the commander--one
Francisco Benitez, the other Juan del Rio. Other volunteers accompanied
them. They reached Jolo, found it unprepared, and burned the town, the
king's houses, the ships, and whatever they found. Had they followed
the people, they would have found them in confusion and hiding in
the grass; for on account of the long peace, the Joloans had not
provisioned their stronghold, which was impregnable. The soldiers
contented themselves with this, and let slip the best opportunity
that could have been desired.

Upon the day that this occurred, some Spaniards happened to be in
our church with father Fray Pedro de Torres, and they saw that the
Child was laughing. This was the church that had been built by the
said father Fray Pedro de Torres--a fatal one, I call it. For four
days after the fleet had left, on the eighth of the same month, while
I was in the refectory dining with the Recollect fathers, whom I had
brought to our convent, another Recollect came from Manila, who was
coming to be ordained. While recounting to him the misfortune that had
occurred, the prior said: "Tell me, bro