to the Filipinas with some Cambodians and Siamese, several Chinese and
three Spaniards--one a Castilian, named Blaz Ruyz de Hernan Gonzalez,
and the other two Portuguese called Pantaleon Carnero and Antonio
Machado. While they were in the city of Chordemuco, [48] in Camboja,
with Prauncar [49] Langara, king of Camboja, the king of Sian attacked
the former king with many soldiers and elephants, conquered the land,
and seized the house and the treasures of the king, who, with his wife,
mother, sister, and his one daughter, and two sons, fled inland to
the kingdom of Lao. The king of Sian leaving some of his captains
to guard Camboja returned to his home with the rest of the army,
sending what booty he could not carry away by land, to Sian by sea
in several junks. He captured the Portuguese and Castilians whom he
found there [i.e., in Camboja], and embarked the above mentioned three
with other Cambodian slaves on board this junk, besides many goods,
and with a Siamese guard and a Chinese crew. While they were at sea,
the three Spaniards, aided by the Chinese, took possession of the
junk, and killed and imprisoned the Siamese guards. After that the
Spaniards and the Chinese came to blows as to who should have the
prize and where it was to be taken. The three Spaniards overcame the
Chinese, and killing most of them, took the junk to Manila with all
its cargo, and the vessel was adjudged to them. Liberty was granted
to the Cambodians as well as to the Chinese who had survived the fray.
The king of Sian reached his court in the city of Odia [50] and
waited for the arrival of the junk; but seeing that it delayed longer
than was necessary, he suspected that it had been seized or lost,
and desired to send someone to bring him news of it and the reason
for the delay. Among the prisoners he had made in Camboja was the
Portuguese, Diego Belloso, who had been sent to Manila in the time
of Gomez Perez Dasmariñas by King Prauncar Langara, to request his
friendship and assistance against Sian which was then threatening him,
as abovesaid. On his return to Camboja with the governor's answer and
present, Belloso found that the Siamese had seized the country and
had occupied it. Accordingly they captured him, and the Siamese king
seized the present which he carried off with the other captures to his
country. This Diego Belloso, getting wind of the king's intention, had
word sent to the latter that, if he were to send him on this business,
he would go as far as Manila, since he knew that archipelago so well,
and find out what had happened to the junk. At the same time he said
that he would establish friendship and commerce in the king's name
with the Spaniards, and would procure many European curiosities for
him, which were to be found in Manila, especially a colored stone
large enough to serve as a hilt for the two-handed sword which the
king used--a thing which the king greatly desired on account of
a smaller one that he had found among the presents, and which he
carried before him when on his elephant. The king agreed to this and
had a junk prepared; he sent in it a Siamese who was in his service,
and all the other men necessary for the voyage, together with Diego
Belloso. He sent two elephants to the governor of Manila, and a
quantity of benzoin, ivory, and other merchandise for sale, with
the proceeds of which they were to buy the curiosities mentioned by
Belloso. Having set sail they encountered a storm, and the junk put in
at Malaca, where they learned that the other junk of the Siamese king,
for which they were looking, had been seized, and that the Spaniards
who had embarked as prisoners at Camboja, had taken it with all its
cargo to Manila, after killing the Siamese guards.
At this news the Siamese king's servant began to look less favorably
upon the journey to Manila, and accordingly, although against Belloso's
desire, began to discharge and sell the goods in Malaca with the
intention of returning immediately to Sian. One morning this servant
of the Siamese king, Aconsi [51] by name, was found dead in the junk,
although he had retired safe and sound the night before. Thereupon
Diego Belloso became master of the situation, and after again embarking
the goods and elephants on the junk, left Malaca, and journeyed to
Manila. There he found Don Luys Dasmariñas acting as governor, because
of his father Gomez Perez's death. To him he gave the present of the
elephants, which he brought from the king, and told him what else had
been sent. The other goods and merchandise were offered for sale by
another Siamese who represented his king's service in the same junk.
Belloso met Blas Ruys de Hernan Gonçales and his two companions in
Manila. Among them all they agreed to persuade Governor Don Luys to
send a fleet to Camboja to aid King Langara who was living in exile and
stripped of his kingdom. They alleged that it would be easy to restore
the king to power, and that at the same time the Spaniards might
gain a foothold on the mainland, where they could settle and fortify
themselves, whence would follow other important and more considerable
results. They called on the religious of the Order of St. Dominic to
support them before the governor in this plan. These easily put the
matter on such good footing--for the governor followed their advice
in everything that it was decided to prepare a fleet with as many
men as possible, under command of the captain and sargento-mayor,
Juan Xuarez Gallinato, himself in a ship of moderate size. He was
to be accompanied by two junks: one under command of Diego Belloso,
and the other under that of Blas Ruyz de Hernan Gonçalez, with one
hundred and twenty Spaniards, some Japanese and native Indians,
and all else that was necessary.
This resolution seemed inexpedient to the majority of people in the
city, both because it took so many men away, and also, because the
success of the expedition seemed very doubtful. Admitting reports
that the country of Camboja was in the hands of the king of Sian,
who held it with sufficient forces--and nothing else was known--the
result of the expedition would be to make the king of Sian--from whom
the governor had just received presents and a friendly embassy in the
person of Belloso--their declared enemy. And without sending the king
an answer they were about to take up arms against him in favor of one
who was unknown to them, and from whom the Spaniards had received
neither pledges nor obligations. Lieutenant-general Don Antonio
de Morga and Master-of-camp Diego Ronquillo, together with other
captains and influential persons, spoke of this matter to Don Luys,
and even requested him in writing to desist from this expedition. But
although he had no reasons on his side to satisfy them, he was so
taken by the expedition, that, inasmuch as the said religious of
St. Dominic upheld him, he would not change his plans. Accordingly
he despatched the fleet to the kingdom of Camboja at the beginning
of the year ninety-six, which is generally one week's voyage. On the
other hand, he dismissed the Siamese who had accompanied Belloso,
without any definite answer to the embassy of the king of Siam,
to whom he sent in return for his presents, some products of the
country, which he thought appropriate. The Siamese, seeing that they
were being sent back to their country, were satisfied, and expected
no other result of their coming.
A storm overtook the fleet, and the flagship which carried Juan
Xuarez Gallinato and the majority of the Spaniards, took refuge
in the strait of Sincapura near Malaca, where it remained for many
days. The other two junks which carried Diego Belloso and Blas Ruyz
with some Spaniards, Japanese, and natives of Manila, reached Camboja
with great difficulty, and Blas Ruyz, preceding Belloso, went up the
river Mecon as far as the city of Chordemuco. There they learned
that the mandarins of Camboja had united against the Siamese whom
they had conquered and driven from the kingdom; and that one of these
mandarins, Anacaparan by name, had taken possession of the country,
and was governing under the title of king, although against the will of
the others. Diego Belloso, Blas Ruyz, and those with them thought that
they had arrived in good season for the furtherance of their designs,
since confusion reigned among the Cambodians, and the Siamese were
out of the country. Expecting Gallinato and the flagship to arrive
directly, they spent several days in Chordemuco with the permission
of Anacaparan, who resided nine leguas away in Sistor. Although the
latter knew of the entry of these ships and their men, and that many
more were coming, whose intentions he knew; and although he thought
that it would not be favorable to him: yet he dissembled with them,
waiting to see what time would bring. At the same time six Chinese
ships with their merchandise arrived in Chordemuco and, while they
were discharging it, the Chinese being many and hating the Spaniards,
behaved towards them with great arrogance and insolence. This obliged
the Spaniards, for the sake of their reputation, and in order to
avenge themselves for injuries received, to take up arms against
the Chinese. This they did, killing many Chinese and seizing their
ships and all their cargo. Anacaparan took offense at this, and was
desirous for the Chinese to avenge themselves by his aid. To remedy
this evil Fray Alonso Ximenez, [52] of the Dominican order, who
accompanied the Spaniards, thought that he, together with Blas Ruys
and Diego Belloso, and about fifty Spaniards, a few Japanese, and men
from Luzon, should leave the rest to guard the ships in Chordemuco,
and should go up in small boats to Sistor, in order to obtain an
interview with Anacaparan and offer him excuses and satisfaction
for the trouble that they had had with the Chinese. And in order to
negotiate with him more easily, they made a letter of embassy in the
name of the governor of Manila, because Gallinato carried with him
the one given them by the governor. This device was of little service
to them, because Anacaparan not only did not grant them audience,
but after having seized their boats, kept them so hard pressed in a
lodging outside the city, and so threatened that he would kill them,
if they did not return the ships and what they had taken from them
to the Chinese, that the Spaniards were quite anxious to return to
Chordemuco and board their vessels for greater security. They decided
to do so as best they could.
Their necessity, and beholding themselves in this danger, encouraged
them, one night, although at great risk, to leave their lodgings, and
find a passage where they could cross the river to the city side. They
crossed the river, arms in hand, late at night, and as silently as
possible. Finding themselves near the city, and their courage and
determination increasing, they entered the city and went as far
as the king's house. They set fire to it, to the magazines, and to
other buildings on their way, and threw the Cambodians into so great
confusion, that that night and the following morning they killed many
people, among them King Anacaparan himself. After this they thought it
unwise to advance or maintain their ground, and accordingly marched
back to their ships as orderly as possible. Meanwhile a great number
of Cambodians, with arms and several elephants, started to pursue the
Spaniards and overtook them before the latter reached their ships. The
Spaniards defended themselves valiantly, and continued their march
until embarking without the loss of a single man, while the Cambodians
returned to the city with some of their men killed and wounded.
Diego Belloso and Bias Ruiz had hardly boarded their ships, when
Captain Gallinato entered Chordemuco with the flagship, by way of the
river. They told him all that happened with the Chinese and Cambodians
and of the favorable condition of affairs for continuing them, alleging
that, since the usurper Anacaparan was dead, many Cambodians would
immediately join the Spaniards in defense of the name and fame of
Langara their legitimate king. But, although some of the Cambodians
themselves came to visit the fleet, and assured Gallinato of the same,
of the death of Anacaparan, and of the deeds of the Spaniards in
Sistor, he appeared to give no credit to any of them, and could not
be induced to believe them, or to continue the enterprise, or even
to consider it. On the contrary he rebuked the Spaniards for what had
taken place in his absence, and after depriving them of all that they
had seized from the Chinese and Cambodians, put to sea in order to
return to Manila. Belloso and Blas Ruiz persuaded him to go at least
to Cochinchina, where the galley seized when Governor Gomez Perez was
killed was said to have been taken, and where were the royal standard
and the artillery carried aboard the galley, and for which he should
ask. They promised, while Gallinato was making these negotiations,
to go overland to the kingdom of Lao, where Langara, king of Camboja,
was living, in order to restore him to his kingdom. Captain Gallinato
consented to this, and sailed along the coast, until he entered the
bay of Cochinchina, where, although he was apparently well received
by the natives of the country, he would not disembark from his ships,
but sent Gregorio de Vargas from them to visit the king of Tunquin,
the chief king of that kingdom, and to treat with him concerning the
galley, the standard, and the artillery. While he was thus engaged,
Gallinato allowed Blas Ruyz and Diego Belloso to go ashore to endeavor
to make the journey to Lao, for he agreed easily to their request
because he thus got rid of them and left them busied in this matter,
so that they could not do him any ill turn in Manila in regard to
leaving Camboja.
Diego Belloso and Blas Ruyz went to the king of Sinua, son of the king
of Tunquin, and begged him to help them in their journey. From him they
received all that was necessary, and were well treated and served until
they reached the city of Alanchan, [53] capital of the kingdom of Lao,
where they were kindly received by the king of the country. They found
that Prauncar Langara, king of Camboja, and his elder son and daughter
had died, and that only his son Prauncar survived, and the latter's
stepmother, grandmother, and aunts. They related the condition of
affairs in Camboja, the arrival of the Spaniards, and the death of
the usurper Anacaparan. The same news was brought by a Cambodian
from Chordemuco, who also added that since the death of Anacaparan,
his younger son Chupinanu was reigning, that the country was entirely
divided into factions, and that many upon seeing their natural and
lawful king would leave Chupinanu and would join him and obey him.
The few difficulties for the departure having been overcome by the
arrival at this time of the mandarin Ocuña de Chu at Lanchan, in Lao
[54] from Camboja, who had been sent by order of other mandarins and
grandees of Camboja with ten praus well equipped with artillery and
weapons to fetch their lawful king, it was decided to go down to
Camboja. Prauncar, his grandmother, aunt, and stepmother--he wife
of Langara--together with Diego Belloso and Blas Ruyz, embarked
and journeyed in the said boats and praus down the rivers flowing
from Lao to Camboja. [55] There they found fresh disturbances in the
provinces. But as soon as Prauncar arrived many went over to his side,
especially two Moro Malays, Acuña La Casamana [56] and Cancona, who
were in the country with a Malay army and a quantity of artillery and
elephants. Prauncar was victorious on various occasions, and Chupinanu
with his brothers and other rebels having died in battle, became master
of almost all the provinces of his kingdom. He made Diego Belloso and
Blas Ruyz chiefs in war affairs, and they managed war matters until
they completely established Prauncar on the throne. When the war was
almost entirely ended, the king made Belloso and Blas Ruyz great chofas
[57] of his kingdom, gave them two provinces, and granted them other
favors, although not so many as they expected, or as he had promised
while still in Lao. The chief reason for this was the stepmother,
grandmother, and aunt of the king, who managed him, on account of
his youth, and of his being addicted to wine, in excess even of his
father Langara. The Moro Malay, Acuña Lacasamana, had great influence
with these women. Being envious of the valor of the Spaniards, he was
continually opposing them, and seeking their destruction, with whom,
on this account, they were always at odds. It must be understood
that this Moro held unlawful relations with the wife of Langara,
the stepmother of King Prauncar.
Captain Gallinato's fleet remained in Cochinchina negotiating with
the king of Tunquin for the royal standard and the artillery of the
galley, as above stated, for the galley was lost upon that coast,
and this king had the rest in his possession. The latter not only did
not restore them, but entertaining Gallinato with flattering speech,
was, on the contrary, planning to take from him his ships and their
contents. Gallinato was secretly warned of this by one of the chief
women of Cochinchina, who came to the fleet to see him, after which
he kept a much more careful watch than before, and allowed no one to
go ashore. But this order was of no avail with Fray Alonso Ximenez,
one of the Dominican religious whom he had with him, and the chief
promoter of the expedition. When the latter went ashore, they seized
and kept him there. The Cochinchinese, imagining that the fleet was
off its guard, sent some fire ships against it, followed by some
galleys and warboats, in order to burn it, while many men armed with
arquebuses annoyed the Spaniards from the neighboring shore. The fleet
succeeded in getting away from the fire and put off from shore, and
resisted the enemy's ships with artillery, musketry, and arquebuses,
thus sinking some of them. After this the Spaniards waited no longer,
but leaving Fray Alonso Ximenez on shore, and two lay companions,
whom he took with him, put to sea and left the bay of Cochinchina,
and ran toward the Filipinas.
While these things were happening in Camboja and Cochinchina, orders
had arrived from España from his Majesty to conclude an agreement
that Captain Estevan Rodriguez de Figueroa had made with Gomez Perez
Dasmariñas, under which the former was to pacify and settle the island
of Mindanao at his own expense, and receive the governorship of the
island for two lives [58] and other rewards. The said agreement was
effected, after certain difficulties that arose were settled. Don
Estevan Rodriguez prepared men and ships, and what else was necessary
for the enterprise, and with some galleys, galleots, frigates, vireys,
barangays, and lapis, [59] set out with two hundred and fourteen
Spaniards for the island of Mindanao, in February of the same year,
of ninety-six. He took Captain Juan de la Xara as his master-of-camp,
and some religious of the Society of Jesus to give instruction,
as well as many natives for the service of the camp and fleet.
He reached Mindanao River, after a good voyage, where the first
settlements, named Tancapan and Lumaguan, both hostile to the people
of Buhahayen, received him peacefully and in a friendly manner, and
joined his fleet. They were altogether about six thousand men. Without
delay they advanced about eight leguas farther up the river against
Buhahayen, the principal settlement of the island, where its greatest
chief had fortified himself on many sides. Arrived at the settlement,
the fleet cast anchor, and immediately landed a large proportion of
the troops with their arms. But before reaching the houses and fort,
and while going through some thickets [çacatal] [60] near the shore,
they encountered some of the men of Buhahayen, who were coming to
meet them with their campilans, carazas [61] and other weapons, and
who attacked them on various sides. The latter [i.e., the Spaniards
and their allies], on account of the swampiness of the place and
the denseness of the thickets [çacatal], could not act unitedly as
the occasion demanded, although the master-of-camp and the captains
that led them exerted themselves to keep the troops together and
to encourage them to face the natives. Meanwhile Governor Estevan
Rodriguez de Figueroa was watching events from his flagship, but not
being able to endure the confusion of his men, seized his weapons
and hastened ashore with three or four companions, and a servant who
carried his helmet, in order that he might be less impeded in his
movements. But as he was crossing a part of the thickets [çacatal]
where the fight was waging, a hostile Indian stepped out unseen from
one side, and dealt the governor a blow on the head with his campilan,
that stretched him on the ground badly wounded. [62] The governor's
followers cut the Mindanao to pieces and carried the governor back to
the camp. Shortly after, the master-of-camp, Juan de la Xara, withdrew
his troops to the fleet, leaving behind several Spaniards who had
fallen in the encounter. The governor did not regain consciousness,
for the wound was very severe, and died next day. The fleet after that
loss and failure left that place, and descended the river to Tampacan,
where it anchored among the friendly inhabitants and their settlements.
The master-of-camp, Juan de la Xara, had himself chosen by the fleet
as successor in the government and enterprise. He built a fort with
arigues and palms near Tampacan, and founded a Spanish settlement to
which he gave the name of Murcia. He began to make what arrangements he
deemed best, in order to establish himself and run things independently
of, and without acknowledging the governor of Manila, without whose
intervention and assistance this enterprise could not be continued.
Of the administration of Don Francisco Tello, and of the second
establishment of the Audiencia of Manila; and of occurrences during
the period of this administration.
CHAPTER SIXTH
Governor Don Luis Dasmariñas was awaiting news from Captain Juan
Xuarez Gallinato, and from Governor Estevan Rodriguez de Figueroa
concerning the voyage which each had made at the beginning of the year
ninety-six, to Camboja and to Mindanao, when news reached Manila,
in the month of June, that two ships had entered the islands by the
channel of Espiritu Santo, and that they brought a new governor sent
from España, namely, Don Francisco Tello de Guzman, knight of the Order
of Sanctiago, a native of Sevilla, and treasurer of the India House
of Trade. He arrived at Manila in the beginning of July and entered
upon his office. It was also learned that Fray Ygnacio Sanctivañez,
of the Order of St. Francis, a native of Sanctivañez, in the province
of Burgos, had been nominated in Nueva España as archbishop of Manila,
for Bishop Fray Domingo de Salazar had died in Madrid; and that Fray
Miguel de Venavides, a native of Carrion and a religious of the Order
of St. Dominic, who had gone to España with Bishop Fray Domingo de
Salazar, had been appointed bishop of the city of Segovia in the
province of Cagayan; also that Fray Pedro de Agurto, of the Order
of St. Augustine, a native of Mexico, had been appointed in Mexico,
bishop of the city of Sanctisimo Nombre de Jesus, and that these
two bishops with another for the city of Caceres, in the province
of Camarines, who was not yet named, had been lately added to the
Filipinas and appointed as suffragans to the archbishop of Manila,
at the instance of Bishop Fray Domingo. Also it was learned that the
Audiencia which had been suppressed in Manila was to be reëstablished
there, as well as other things which the bishop had presented at court.