ncia,
but the latter opposed it. I afterward spoke to him of the lack there
was of auditors, and of some other matters, and suggested to him to
write about this and let each one give his opinion. Yet, although
the said president agreed to do so, he did not, but secretly gave
the title of commander-in-chief of the fleet to the said Dr. Antonio
de Morga, although your Majesty had here Don Juan Ronquillo, who was
receiving a salary as commander-in-chief of the galleys, and who was
a veteran soldier, together with many others who have well approved
themselves on the occasions for service which have arisen. The doctor,
fearing that the president might change his mind, made haste to leave
the port; and, although he could have had the galeota fitted out,
he did not do so. It was understood that the reason given was that
Don Juan Ronquillo said that it should not go out because he was
commander-in-chief of the galleys for your Majesty, and that the
right to go in the galeota could not be taken from him. Likewise,
although he could have taken the pataje from Malaca, for which he had
received some supplies and artillery at your Majesty's expense, he did
not wait for it; and some say that friends of the doctor said that he
ought not to take the pataje, because the Portuguese on it said that
he should not, although the victory would have been to their account.

So on the twelfth of December he set out from Cavite for the port of
Mariveles, which is seven leguas distant, and there [_MS. illegible_]
the flagship which was the ship "Sant Diego;" and on the following day,
the thirteenth, at eleven or twelve o'clock of a very black night,
he left the port of Mariveles, without informing his admiral's ship,
which was the galicabra, and in which sailed as admiral the captain
Juan de Alcega. However, after the flagship had been gone more than an
hour, the other ship saw it by accident, and went after it. At daybreak
our flagship recognized that of the enemy, which, together with its
admiral's ship, was between the islands of Anacebu and Fortun. On
account of the roughness of the weather, they were unable to unite;
so the enemy's flagship kept up into the wind to wait for ours,
which gained the windward of it and closed with it under full sail,
while the admiral's ship of the enemy took to flight.

Meanwhile the two flagships were fighting. For each man of the enemy
our ship had four Spaniards--not to mention the Indians and negroes,
who