he best of these
embarked Manuel Riveyro, a father of our Society from the house of
Ternate. He had come here to solicit and collect the alms which his
Majesty orders to be given to the fathers who labor in the Malucas
Islands. For many days, for years even, nothing had been given;
and, as a result, Ours were suffering great privation. The father
was very successful and collected from the royal treasury a large
sum of money. Part of this he spent for very rich ornaments and
for images for our churches; part for ship stores, and for gifts
with which to aid the poor soldiers in those strongholds of Maluco,
who suffer great want. These soldiers are materially assisted by our
fathers who reside there, to the great edification and gratitude of
the soldiers. With these supplies the father embarked in one of the
ships, and arrived at Punta de Najo [Naso--_V.d.A._], about eight
leagues from the town of Arebalo, where the king's ships go to take
on rice and meat for the Malucas. At this town it was necessary for
the father of our Society, and other fathers of St. Francis, to go
ashore to obtain some things which they needed, in order to have them
ready when the ship should arrive. Therefore they disembarked to go
by land, and the ship anchored off the point. One day the master,
who was called Juan de Ochoa Sarape [? Lara--_V.d.A._], brought it
about by deceit that the captain of the ship, Francisco Benitez,
the pilot, and two soldiers who were not of his following, should
disembark. There were on board also two mariners, a Galician and a
Castilian, neither of whom had sided with him in the treason that he
had planned with the others. He sent these down the hatchway for some
ropes, and then took a lock and fastened the hatchway. Thereupon the
traitors unsheathed their swords, drew their arquebuses and muskets,
and lighted their fuses. Standing under arms, they cut the cables, and
set sail, taking possession of the ship and of all the goods that it
carried for the king, for the governor of Maluco, and for the fathers
of San Francisco and of our Society, all of which, they say, might be
worth more than thirty thousand pesos. The captain and the pilot, who
witnessed this treason from land, embarked at once in a little vessel,
and, coming near the ship, discharged three muskets, none of which
did any damage. The traitors asked the pilot whether he wished to go
with them. Seeing that neither he nor the captain was so inclined,
they to