as the river
of Catubig, where he found the whole people busied in their
grain-fields. Accordingly, he went farther to some small islands lying
adjacent in the broad sea, where the people had already gathered in
their rice crops. In one of them, called Batac, he made a short stay,
and the people from all the neighboring islands assembled there to
celebrate the Christmas festivals, and attend to the things pertaining
to their salvation. When they were about to return home, advice was
given to the women in other matters relating to civilized ways and to
modesty--especially in regard to their mode of dress, which, on account
of their being a rough and barbarous people, was not quite decent;
but after they were taught, they adorned and covered themselves more
modestly. They had built, in anticipation of the father's coming, a
church and house and even a confessional for the women. After a goodly
number had been made Christians, the father returned to the principal
station, which is Catubig; and at his departure these poor creatures
besought him earnestly not to leave them so forsaken, now that he
was going away, but to teach some Christian the form and ceremony,
so that he could baptize them in cases of necessity. The father did
so, and left them with much grief in his heart. But these pains,
which in truth are more intense than those of childbirth, we often
suffer there, since the harvest is so great and the laborers are so
few. So many were the baptisms in Catubig that the father, fearing
lest the blessed oil and chrism would give out, carried the water of
baptism from place to place, in order not to prepare it so often. [26]

Among the notable conversions in this mission, which amounted to seven
hundred, the most distinguished and remarkable of all was that of a
chief some sixty years of age, and highly esteemed in that region. In
this case much time was needful to extricate his conscience from the
former robberies and tyrannies which we have already described. He
gave their freedom to many slaves, and, in order to settle other
obligations which were not defined by the church, presented to us a
handsome house, so large that, together with the church (a building
about fifteen brazas long), it serves us a commodious habitation for
our fathers who are there; and finally, after a thorough preparation,
baptism was conferred upon him. He was governor of the village,
and yet as a catechumen he attended each morning the sermons