nd hardship
they had endured. For their coming was a thing which he desired much
on account of the many things which I often told him, because he had
always been interested in them, and because of the many conversations
which I had with him. I recounted to him the greatness of his Majesty
and of this city, whereupon he showed a lively pleasure in all, and
was led to wish to communicate with the city, of which communication
he was already greatly desirous. With the arrival of the said persons
and what they told him, he completed his information concerning the
matters that he had learned from me. At that time he was suspicious
of the king of Ssian, who was his bitter enemy, as well as the enemy
of Christianity and of the Spanish nation, and with whom he was in
a state of open warfare. He preferred to avail himself of aid from
the Christians rather than from the heathens or Moros who dwelt in
the neighborhood, if he could do so. He gave entire credit to what
we had told him, and what we were then telling him. He confirmed by
deed the love which he had shown to all of us Spaniards, and decided
to send an embassy to the governor of these islands, seeking aid
for the conflict in which he feared he would soon find himself. This
embassy he entrusted to me and to Captain Gregorio de Vargas, placing
more confidence in us than in any of his own subjects. The said Blas
Rruiz he kept in his service to satisfy the wishes of some of his own
subjects, who, because they do not like him, opposed the voyage and the
embassies. He wrote to the said governor a letter, written on a leaf
of beaten gold, and sent as a present an elephant, slaves, and other
articles, as appears by the said embassy, to which I refer you. This
embassy we carried out, on arriving at this city, delivering the letter
and the presents, and were engaged in it many days, beseeching the
last governor to send the king some aid, in order to redeem him from
the utter ruin which afterward happened. As this country was on the
point of sending an expedition to Maluco, the governor deferred the
aid. After your Lordship succeeded to the government, you despatched
me and gave me an answer for the said king, sending him a Castilian
horse with trappings, and a rich jewel of emeralds. When I arrived at
the said kingdom of Canvoja I sent a soldier named Pantaleon Carnero
to give the news to the king, and to take measures to learn the state
in which the country was--all of which is exp