nt and haughty, so that, however much they were
invited, with assurance of peace and pardon, to lay down their arms
before those of our king, and to restore the Spanish weapons that they
were keeping, they paid no heed to it. Seeing this, Sargento-mayor
Don Augustin de Cepeda, the better to justify the expedition that
he intended to make against them, sent word to them through other
Guimbanos who were our friends, that they must restore the arms that
they had taken from the Spaniards, and that if they did not restore
these he would wage war against them. To this they replied that those
arms were converted into lances, and that nothing would be given up
to the Spaniards, whether Don Agustin marched against them or not. The
captain and sargento-mayor received this reply on Tuesday, December 29,
and on Wednesday, the thirtieth of the same month, he determined to
make a daylight attack on them with the utmost secrecy. Accordingly, at
four in the afternoon, almost all the soldiers made their confessions,
and the sargento-mayor exhorted them to rouse all their courage,
as brave soldiers, since they were fighting for both the majesties
[i.e., the divine and the royal], and they had the sure protection
of the mother of God, our Lady of Good Success. Then they set out
from the hill of Jolo with only twenty-five Spaniards and three
officers, [Cepeda's lieutenants being] Adjutant Diego de los Reyes
and Alferez Gaspar de Chaves; and twenty-two Pampangos and Cagaians,
with their officers, also ten or fifteen servants with their pikes
and shields. Of this infantry the captain formed three divisions,
giving to each one its own watchword--to the first one, "Jesus be
with all;" to the second, "Our Lady of Good Success;" to the third,
"Saint Ignatius"--and each division was ordered to render aid according
to its watchword, and as the enemy should sound the call to arms. With
this order, they began their march, and proceeded until nightfall,
when they marched in single file, since the road and the darkness
gave no opportunity for doing otherwise. They passed rivers, ravines,
marshes, and miry places, until they arrived at a village of a Guimbano
chief named Ulisten, near which they heard coughing in the houses;
and [they moved] so cautiously that they were not perceived. The
sargento-mayor did not choose to enter this village, not only because
the chief had showed his friendship for the Spaniards, but because
his only intention was to puni