fore not anticipating any trouble
with Cavite, where he found the resistance that he did not expect,
and preferring to effect his purpose bloodlessly, and quite safely
to himself, he returned to his post. Not long afterward, he had all
four of his vessels weigh anchor; and going out of sight of the
city, went to anchor at the port called El Fraile ["the Friar"],
at a short distance from his former anchorage. There he began to rob
whatever he could, and prevented the ingress of provisions brought
from all the islands to this city. Alferez Aldana was aboard one of
the boats that he seized coming from a corregidor's district. He,
thinking the Dutch to be Castilian vessels, went to them with great
joy; but his joy was shortly changed into sad captivity, for he was
pillaged and imprisoned. Shortly after this event, four Dutchmen
fled from the Dutch fleet. Their arrival was singularly consoling
for full information was obtained from them of the Dutch force and
object. Not more than three slaves deserted from us to the Dutch;
and, being slaves, they could give but little information regarding
our affairs. Almost the same thing happened to captain Castillo as
to Alferez Aldano; for having come from Japon, whither he had gone
with a fragata, he was sent, as one experienced in these coasts, to
a certain place, to warn the ships from China and Japon of the Dutch,
and that they commanded the sea. One day the [Dutch] patache went so
far in search of ships that Captain Castillo could not be persuaded
that it was not a friendly vessel; consequently he went to give it
information, according to his orders. Although he was afterwards
undeceived, and tried to escape from the Dutch, who pursued him, he
was unable to do so. Their commander tried to learn from him whether
Cavite had greater force than he had seen; but he always answered that
he knew of nothing else, and excused himself by saying that he had but
recently come from Japon. On the contrary, he belittled our affairs,
in order to assure them the more. He managed to write a letter thence
and send it by a Sangley, in which he gave an account of the vessels,
artillery, and men, thus making the battle easier.

A fire broke out in Cavite at this juncture, and almost all the
Spanish houses were burned. The fire nearly caught in the house where
the powder was stored, a circumstance that placed the people in the
utmost danger. Not one was bold enough to try to remedy matters, for
they al