_Omoncon, captain of the king of China, commeth to
seeke Limahon, and doth meete with Spaniards._
In the meane time that the siege indured at the fort, as you haue
vnderstood, there went and came certaine vessels which brought victuals
and other necessaries from the cittie of Manilla, which was but fortie
leagues from the mouth of that riuer of Pagansinan, as hath beene tolde
you. It happened vppon a day that a shippe of Myguel de Loarcha, wherein
was frier Martin de Herrada, provinciall of the Augustine friers, who
was come vnto the riuer Pagansinan for to see the generall of the
fielde, and in the same shippe returned vnto Manilla to hold Capitulo,
or court, in the saide ilande and port of Buliano. Seuen leagues after
they were out of the mouth of Pagansinan, they met with a shippe of
Sangleyes, who made for the port, and thinking them to bee enimies, they
bore with them (hauing another shippe that followed them for their
defence), and had no more in them but the saide prouinciall and fiue
Spanyards, besides the mariners. This shippe of Sangley, seeing that hee
did beare with them, would haue fledde, but the winde woulde not permit
him, for that it was to him contrarie; which was the occasion that the
two shippes wherein the Spanyards were, for that they did both saile and
rowe, in a small time came within cannon shot. In one of the shippes
there was a Chino called Sinsay, one who had beene many times at Manilla
with merchandise, and was a verie friend and knowne of the Spanyards,
and vnderstoode their language; who knowing that shippe to be of China,
and not to be a rouer, did request our people not to shoote, neither to
doo them any harme, vntill such time as they were informed what they
were in that same shippe.
[Sidenote: The captaine generall of the king of China.]
This Sinsay went straight wayes into the fore shippes, and demanded what
they were, and from whence they came: and being well informed, he
vnderstoode that he was one of the ships of warre that was sent out by
the king of China, to seeke the rouer Limahon, who leauing the rest of
the fleet behinde, came forth to seeke in those ilands to see if he
coulde discouer him to be any of them: and the better to be informed
thereof, they were bounde into the port of Buliano, from whence they
came with their two shippes: from whome they woulde haue fledde,
thinking they had beene some of the rouers shippes. Being fully
perswaded the one of the other, they ioyned together with great peace
and friendshippe: the Spanyards straightwayes entred into their boate
and went vnto the shippe of the Chinos, and carried with them the
aforesaid Sinsay for to be their interpreter, and to speake vnto the
Chinos. In the saide shippe came a man of great authoritie who was
called Omoncon, who brought a commission from their king, and shewed it
vnto the Spanyards and vnto the father prouinciall: in the which the
king and his councell did pardon all those souldiers that were with
Limahon, if that forthwith they would leaue him and returne vnto the
kings part; and likewise did promise great gifts and fauour vnto him
that did either take or kill the aforesaid rouer. Then did Sinsay
declare vnto him of the comming of the rouer vnto the ilands, and all
that happened in the siege of the cittie, as aforesaide: and howe they
had him besieged in the riuer of Pagansinan, from whence it was not
possible for him to escape.
The captain Omoncon reioyced very much of these newes, and made many
signes of great content, and did embrace the Spanyards many times, and
gaue other tokens whereby he did manifest the great pleasure he
receiued, and woulde therewith straightwaies depart vnto the rest of the
fleet. And for that they looked euery day for the death or imprisonment
of the rouer, the better to informe himselfe, hee determined (for it
was so nigh hand) to go and see the generall of the fielde in
Pagansinan, and carry with him Sinsay, one that was knowne both of the
one and the other: by whose meanes they might treate of such things that
best accomplished the confirmation of the peace and friendship betwixt
the Chinos and the Spaniards, as also of the death or imprisonment of
Limahon. With this resolution the one departed vnto Pagansinan, whereas
they arriued the same day, and the others vnto Manilla, whether they
went for victuals.