, especially when it be considered that he
could not be sure of the people of the village. But the very injustice
of the Indian giving the father courage, he said to the chiefs who
had accompanied him: "What is this? What is this? Can it be possible
to write of the loyalty of Bolinao, that a traitor, sent by a rebel
to God, and the king, publicly induces you to insurrection, and that
he remain unpunished? Come, seize him. But no, it is to his advantage
to have been found in the house of Sumulay, whose nobility is worthy
of this attention. But I warn you, O wretch, that you do not leave
the house which serves you as a sanctuary, and that you do not sow
any discord in order to pervert the fidelity of the Zambals, until I
have answered this letter of your vicious cousin; for if you disobey
my order, and these men do not tear you to pieces, I shall be able
to send you to Manila laden with irons and chains, where you will
pay for your treason on the gallows."

17. Caucao, Sumulay, and all the others were full of dismay at
hearing the argument of the prior: Caucao, because he thought that
the village sided with the Spaniards since the father spoke with so
great assurance; Sumulay, because he imagined the same, and because
he thought also that the prior was ignorant of his evil designs,
since he spoke so lovingly to him; and the others, because a rumor
that had been shortly before cunningly spread to the effect that a
fleet was already coming from Manila to punish those who had declared
for Malong, was thus corroborated. For, they argued, if it were not
so, a poor religious would not have the courage to do so much. In
short the father prior obtained his wish, namely, to puzzle them all
in order to gain time. That done, the venerable man retired to his
convent quite perplexed. Opening the letter, he beheld that Malong
expressed himself in the same manner as Caucao had done. He deemed
best not to answer it, for while he was thinking how he would dismiss
the messenger, he was advised that a champan had just anchored in the
port, in which were two religious. He proceeded thither in order to
receive them, and was met by fathers Fray Juan de Bergara and Fray
Juan de Fisla, who were retiring from Ilocos, where the rebels were
committing innumerable acts of cruelty, and had inhumanly taken the
life of father Fray Joseph Arias, all of our observance.

18. He led them to the convent, arranging also that two Spaniards
and six Tagalog I