people come to the convent, or to that house wherein they were living,
in order that they might give them instruction, and teach them to read
and write. Since they were the newest plants, necessarily they would
receive the teaching better, and the new customs would be impressed
more easily upon them than on those already hardened and petrified in
their old customs. The Indians assented readily to this, for already
with their subjection, they felt some indescribable superiority in
the Spaniards which obliged them to regard the latter with fear and
respect. Much more so did they regard the fathers, upon seeing the
reverence with which the captains treated them, who always kissed
their hands on seeing them. This custom has remained even until the
present in the islands. However, they do not kiss the hand, but the
habit or girdle. I suppose that the fathers' modesty would not permit
the captains to kiss the hand, and they substituted therefor the habit
or girdle. Upon the Indians seeing this, they have followed the same
custom. Consequently, as a rule, when an Indian comes to talk to a
father, he kisses the latter's hand. With this instruction that the
fathers continued to give the youth, the Indians were becoming more
harmonized, and began to lose their previous horror of the Spaniards,
and on the other hand, to love them. Most of them begged the fathers
to please make them Christians.

A miracle which happened at that time aided in this. A fire catching
in some of the soldiers' quarters on a holiday (namely, All-Saints'
day of 1566), many houses were burned, among them that in which the
fathers were living. Meanwhile another and larger house was being
built. The religious had erected a bamboo cross at the door of the said
house. The bamboos are very thick in those islands and so plentiful
that they are used for masts and yards for the caracoas; and they
make the best, for they are very strong, of slight weight, and can be
raised and lowered easily. Then the fire breaking out so furiously
had burned more than thirty houses within an incredibly short time,
and among these was ours. The flame enveloped the cross on all sides,
but did not burn it, or even smoke it. When the religious saw the
present marvel, they had the bells rung as a sign of rejoicing. Upon
the Spaniards and Indians coming to see what was the matter, they
looked at it not without great wonder, for wonder was caused by the
fire's so great respect for that cr