ther, if you saw this convent
ablaze, would you not feel compassion?" We went up stairs, and at one
o'clock the fire began in the middle of the city, to the windward. It
originated from some tobacco; cursed be it, and the harm that that
infernal plant has brought, which must have come from hell. The wind
was brisk, and blowing toward the convent. In short, everything was
burned, though we saved the silver and whatever was possible. The Holy
Child willed to allow His house and most of the city to be burned,
although no two houses had ever before been burned in that city at the
same time. This happened on Saturday, the eve of Passion Sunday. I
gathered together all that escaped from the convent of San Nicolas,
and set about going to Manila, to repair that loss as far as possible.

While on the way to the island of Panay, my boat was overturned
by a heavy storm, and it was a miracle that I escaped with my
life--which happened, through God's mercy, by the efforts of my Sugbu
Indians. Finally when the storm was appeased, I reached the convent of
Salog, without shoes, naked, and perishing of hunger, on the fifteenth
of the said month of April. The father of that convent, called father
Fray Francisco de Oliva, [71] and all the others of that island, aided
both the convent, and me especially, with the greatest charity. Thus
I obtained there two very large contributions of all necessary for
the convent. I found father Fray Esteban de Peralta, definitor of
the province, there visiting the island. I went to Manila with him,
where I tried to go from Manila to Espana. The superior did not impose
obedience in regard to it, so that I turned all my efforts to caring
for my house, for which many religious aided from their stores with
great charity.

At this juncture the ships came from Espana. They brought the
governor's wife, Dona Magdalena de Onate. They had been four
whole months in making the port of Cavite and had suffered very
severe weather. Those two ships were very staunch ones, and had
better accommodations for cargo than any that have been seen in the
islands. They were called the "San Luis" and the "San Raimundo." As
commander of the flagship came Don Juan de Quinones, in whose ship
sailed the governor's wife. It also bore the religious of our father
St. Dominic; while in the almiranta sailed Don Diego Munoz, Bishop
Don Fray Hernando Guerrero, the latter of whom was at the point of
death, so that his escape was a marvel. W