History of the Philippine Islands (Vol. 1&2). Joaquín Martínez De Zúñiga
he suspected an intention of mutiny among the crew; the object of which was, to go off with the patache, because they had not been allowed to purchase cinnamon for themselves, and which being the only valuable object for which the voyage was undertaken, belonged to the King, as being the first purchase made of that article. Legaspi paid him the usual funeral honours in Zebu, and punished those who were found to be concerned in this mutiny. He likewise named as his successor Martin de Goite. The General sent Morones to Caraga, and Pedro de Herrera to Leyte, for tar, for careening the ships. The Indians of this island are excellent porters and labourers, and our soldiers had such confidence in them, that leaving their arms, and relying on their friendship, they received the tar in an unguarded manner. This, however, in the end, cost them dear, as on a sudden they found themselves surrounded in an ambuscade, by eight or ten Indians to one Spaniard; and Matheo Sanchez Gaditano not being able to extricate them, the Indians murdered all but one Spaniard, who escaped to relate the news of this tragedy. Whilst this was passing up the country, others came down to plunder the ship, who finding our people in unsuspecting security, possessed themselves of their arms, and destroyed every thing they could not take away.
On the 10th of June, 1567, there arrived at Zebu two Portuguese caracoas, with letters from Captain Pereyra to Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, in which he observed, that he supposed they were the Spaniards who had taken refuge in Zebu, in consequence of bad weather, and were unable to return to New Spain, as had happened to those of the other Spanish squadrons which had navigated those seas; and on this supposition he invited them to the Moluccas, where he promised to receive them with every degree of friendship, and furnish them with proper necessaries to prosecute their voyage.
Such were the contents of his letter on the occasion, but some invalid Spaniards who came with the messenger, affirmed that Pereyra had been despatched by the Viceroy of India to drive the Spaniards out of Zebu, and not being able last year to effect it, in consequence of the storms they had encountered, they had remained in Tidore with the intention of completing it this year. Our General, aware of the snare which Pereyra was laying for him, answered this specious letter with corresponding dissimulation, and that he had given notice to his court of the capture of these islands, and was in daily expectation of hearing from his sovereign. Surrounded by these interruptions and difficulties, the General sent to Acapulco the patache San Lucas, Captain Juan de la Isla, requesting such assistance as might prevent the threatened suspension of their intercourse with New Spain, and which appeared highly probable. The Augustine friars sent, on this occasion, Friar Pedro de Gamboa to solicit some additional aid for the conversion of these infidels, who had already begun to be baptized, and which, they urged, would securely establish the authority of the Spaniards in the Philippines, but the friar never arrived, having died on the voyage.
On the 20th of August, this year, Philip de Salcedo arrived with two ships, and accompanied by his brother Juan de Salcedo, who had been of great use in the first conquest of these islands. The General was rejoiced at the arrival of such considerable relief, at a period when he had reason to think Pereyra intended to attack Zebu. When Legaspi saw, however, that the Portuguese did not make their appearance as he expected, he despatched his grandson, Philip de Salcedo, to Acapulco, with directions to go by the route of the Ladrone Islands, where he was shipwrecked; but, all the people being saved, he built another vessel, and returned to Zebu in such happy time, that he made up for his disappointment, by the importance of his appearance, at the period of Pereyra's arrival, on the 30th of September 1568, with a squadron of three galleons, two galeots, three fustas, and twenty smaller vessels. Every thing, however, on this occasion, indicated perfect amity; the Generals visited reciprocally, and held meetings, to ascertain whether these islands were in the line of demarcation of Spain, or not, with the view of avoiding hostilities. Pereyra, by an artful line of conduct, protracted these discussions, in order to gain time, if possible, by stratagem, to get possession of the port and of our camp, as he found it could not be effected by force. Disappointed, however, in his views, he returned on Christmas-eve to the Moluccas, having been dismissed with great civility by Legaspi.
CHAPTER VI.
ANNO DOM. 1569 to 1571.
Of the Conquest of Manila.
The supply of provisions having been very short, in consequence of the Portuguese, in some measure, blockading the port, the General, to guard against being exposed to the same danger a second time, determined to change his position, and establish himself in a more fertile country than that he then occupied. He ordered the camp to be immediately removed to the island of Panay: with this commission he charged his grandson, Philip de Salcedo, who was very cordially received by the natives, because he had formerly assisted them against their enemies, and enabled them to make many prisoners. Captain Luis de la Haya was ordered to go with his detachment, to the river Araut in the same island; Captain Andres de Ybarra to the island of Masbate; and the Colonel was ordered to remain in Zebu. In the interim the camp was established in Panay, and the patache San Lucas remained at Zebu, preparing to depart for New Spain. Juan de Salcedo ordered his brother Philip to Panay with another vessel, which conveyed the books and effects of his grandfather, all of which were lost in a storm; which loss, although he felt it severely, Legaspi bore with exemplary patience and fortitude.
Philip de Salcedo having loaded the patache San Lucas, sailed from Zebu, and, in a few days after her departure, fell in with the San Juan, which had sailed from Acapulco, and was commanded by Captain Juan Lopez de Aguirre; Salcedo returned with her to Zebu, and, on the 10th of July, sailed a second time on his voyage. By the San Juan the Augustine fathers had sent Friar Herrera, having appointed him a provincial, or clerical head of a province, which was the first they had established in the Philippines. Their intention was by this appointment, to increase the importance of the religious orders, and induce higher respect from the new converts; the effect, accordingly, was the addition of many to the number, stimulated too, by the example of Tupas and his son: Legaspi stood godfather to Tupas, who was christened Philip, in compliment to the King of Spain; and his son was christened Charles, and had, as his godfather, Juan de Salcedo. The feasts which were held on the day these two new Christians were baptized, contributed, at the same time, to the conversion of many others. This was a measure of great expediency, although the duty of the fathers became necessarily so much more enlarged. It was determined that a friar, whose name was Juan Alba, should be sent to attempt the conversion of the isle of Masbate; and another, by the name of Alonzo Ximenes, to the river Araut, in the island of Panay, where he made many converts. Friar Martin de Rada remained in Zebu, and the rest of the clergy accompanied the General in the conquest of Manila.
The General Legaspi arrived at Panay, accompanied by the Colonel, who, however, immediately returned to his command at Zebu, together with his wife, who had just arrived from New Spain with Captain Juan Lopez de Aguirre, in the ship San Juan. Legaspi was received by the natives of Panay with every demonstration of joy, and they appeared more sincere in their professions than those of Zebu. He constructed, with all expedition, some works, to enable him to resist the attempts of the squadron of Pereyra, and check the proceedings of a swarm of pirates, which had issued from Jolo and Borneo in twenty vessels, called vireyes, and had captured a Spanish vessel, with the crew. The Colonel attacked these pirates with nine proas: he took four vireyes, and would have taken the whole, had not seven of his vessels been too much astern. Having forwarded the account of this engagement to the General, he was now at liberty to assist the inhabitants of Aclan, who had sustained considerable injury from the pirates of Mindoro. In the month of January, 1570, Juan de Salcedo sailed on this expedition with thirty Spaniards and many friendly Indians. He entered the town of Mamburao, and, having made himself master of it, compelled the inhabitants to ransom themselves with gold; after which he proceeded to the isle of Lucban, where the pirates of Mindoro had taken refuge, and had protected themselves by some indifferent works; he, with ease, forced their intrenchments, attacked them with fire-arms, and, as they were unable to resist this mode of warfare, they agreed to ransom themselves with gold, as the inhabitants of Mamburao had done. Salcedo divided the spoil among his soldiers and the Indians, and returned to Panay, to give an account of this expedition.
The General,