ng only 30 men to garrison Vigan
and protect the State interests there.

On November 29, 1574, the squadron arrived in the Bay of Manila,
and Li-ma-hong sent forward his Lieutenant Sioco--a Japanese--at the
head of 600 fighting men to demand the surrender of the Spaniards. A
strong gale, however, destroyed several of his junks, in which about
200 men perished.

With the remainder he reached the coast at Paranaque, a village seven
miles south of Manila. Thence, with tow-lines, the 400 soldiers hauled
their junks up to the beach of the capital.

Already at the village of Malate the alarm was raised, but the
Spaniards could not give credit to the reports, and no resistance was
offered until the Chinese were within the gates of the city. Martin de
Goiti, the _Maestre de Campo_, [22] second in command to the Governor,
was the first victim of the attack.

The flames and smoke arising from his burning residence were the
first indications which the Governor received of what was going
on. The Spaniards took refuge in the Fort of Santiago, which the
Chinese were on the point of taking by storm, when their attention
was drawn elsewhere by the arrival of fresh troops led by a Spanish
sub-lieutenant. Under the mistaken impression that these were the
vanguard of a formidable corps, Sioco sounded the retreat. A bloody
hand-to-hand combat followed, and with great difficulty the Chinese
collected their dead and regained their junks.

In the meantime Li-ma-hong, with the reserved forces, was lying in
the roadstead of Cavite, and Sioco hastened to report to him the
result of the attack, which had cost the invader over one hundred
dead and more than that number wounded. Thereupon Li-ma-hong resolved
to rest his troops and renew the conflict in two days' time under
his personal supervision. The next day Juan Salcedo arrived by sea
with reinforcements from Vigan, and preparations were unceasingly
made for the expected encounter. Salcedo having been appointed to
the office of _Maestre de Campo_, vacant since the death of Goiti,
the organization of the defence was entrusted to his immediate care.

By daybreak on December 3 the enemy's fleet hove-to off the capital,
where Li-ma-hong harangued his troops, whilst the cornets and drums
of the Spaniards were sounding the alarm for their fighting men to
assemble in the fort.

Then 1,500 chosen men, well armed, were disembarked under the
leadership of Sioco, who swore to take the place or di