Father Montes continued their voyage in the ship "Santa Ana," which
was in Bungo. The Japanese came very near attacking it, but they say
that they did not do so because such action was not expedient; for
they had injured their trade with Macao, by attacking the galleon en
route from that city to Japon with silk, until they had to burn it,
with the loss of eight hundred thousand taels; and they would curtail
their trade with this country and suffer great lack of silk.
I will end this relation with the affairs of, and voyage to,
Maluco, for whose relief, as I stated above, two galleys made an
expedition. The food and men were divided among various caracoas,
fragatas, and champans, in Oton. After setting sail, they proceeded
without disaster as far as Sarragan in Siao. There one of the boats was
wrecked by a fierce gale, although only one Spaniard and ten Indians
of its crew were drowned. The rest escaped without weapons or anything
else besides their shirts. Those who escaped were given shelter in
the other boats. One afternoon while continuing their voyage, they
discovered four Dutch vessels, in sight of the island of Maluco. They
put to sea in order to escape them, with the intention of making port
that night. In this way some of them reached a place of safety. But
one fragata, which carried one of the captains, went toward the enemy,
because our men had not reconnoitered the land well. Consequently,
in the morning, it found itself surrounded by four ships and one
patache, and accordingly had to remain with them. Those [Dutch]
ships also seized a large champan which had been left behind, and
which carried a cargo of food and goods, belonging both to the king
and to private persons.
These boats that were captured by the Dutch contained all that we were
sending to the fathers at Maluco--namely, one hundred and two baskets
of clean rice, thirty-one jars of wine, meat, and butter, which were
very necessary to them, in the condition of affairs there, for Father
Masonio having gone to visit the fort of Bachan, with nine slaves
who served him as a boat-crew, they were taken by the Dutch and their
Terrenatan allies. In the fight sixteen Spanish soldiers were killed,
besides some of the natives. Of the slaves whom the father was taking
with him, three were killed and six were captured by the Dutch. After
the father confessed the wounded and entered their fort, he escaped
and hid for a week in the woods; and, although many p
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