Most Illustrious and Excellent Sir:
I do not know whether the letters with new information which the
governor is writing today will arrive in time to go on this ship,
which has been despatched to this port of Acabite; so I wish to give
your Excellency notice of what is going on. Yesterday--St. John's
Day--in the afternoon, there arrived six soldiers who had gone with
Captain Juan Pablo de Carrion [19] against the Japanese, who are
settled on the river Cagayan. They say that Juan Pablo sailed with his
fleet--which comprised the ship "Sant Jusepe," the admiral's galley,
and five fragatas--from the port of Bigan, situated in Ylocos,
about thirty-five days' journey from Cagayan. As he sailed out,
he encountered a Chinese pirate, who very soon surrendered. He put
seventeen soldiers aboard of her and continued his course. While
rounding Cape Borgador near Cagayan one fair morning at dawn, they
found themselves near a Japanese ship, which Juan Pablo engaged with
the admiral's galley in which he himself was. With his artillery he
shot away their mainmast, and killed several men. The Japanese put
out grappling-irons and poured two hundred men aboard the galley,
armed with pikes and breastplates. There remained sixty arquebusiers
firing at our men. Finally, the enemy conquered the galley as far
as the mainmast. There our people also made a stand in their extreme
necessity, and made the Japanese retreat to their ship. They dropped
their grappling-irons, and set their foresail, which still remained
to them. At this moment the ship "Sant Jusepe" grappled with them,
and with the artillery and forces of the ship overcame the Japanese;
the latter fought valiantly until only eighteen remained, who gave
themselves up, exhausted. Some men on the galley were killed, and
among them its captain, Pero Lucas, fighting valiantly as a good
soldier. Then the captain, Juan Pablo, ascended the Cagayan River,
and found in the opening a fort and eleven Japanese ships. He passed
along the upper shore because the mouth of the river is a league
in width. The ship "Sant Jusepe" was entering the river, and it
happened by bad fortune that some of our soldiers, who were in a
small fragata, called out to the captain, saying to him: "Return,
return to Manila! Set the whole fleet to return, because there are a
thousand Japanese on the river with a great deal of artillery, and
we are few." Whereupon Captain Luys de Callejo directed his course
seaward; and although Juan Pablos fired a piece of artillery he did
not and could not enter, and continued to tack back and forth. In
the morning he anchored in a bay, where such a tempest overtook them
that it broke three cables out of four that he had, and one used
for weighing anchor. He sent these six soldiers in a small vessel to
see if there was on an islet any water, of which they were in great
need. The men lost their way, without finding any water; and when they
returned where they had left their ship they could not find it. They
met with some of those Indians who were in the galley with Juan Pablos,
from whom it was learned that Juan Pablo had ascended the river two
leagues and had fortified himself in a bay; and that with him was the
galley, which had begun to leak everywhere, in the engagement with
the Japanese. The Indian crew was discharged on account of not having
the supplies which were lost on the galley. Most of these men went
aboard the "Sant Jusepe." They said that the Japanese were attacking
them with eighteen _champans_, [20] which are like skiffs. They were
defending themselves well although there were but sixty soldiers with
the seamen, and there were a thousand of the enemy, of a race at once
valorous and skilful. The six soldiers came with this news, and on the
way they met a sailor who had escaped from a Sangley ship which had
sailed from here, with supplies of rice for Juan Pablo. He says that
the Sangleys mutinied at midnight and killed ten soldiers who were
going with it as an escort, who had no sentinel. This one escaped by
swimming, with the aid of a lance that was hurled at him from the ship.
Moreover, I have just detained some passengers who were going on this
ship, because there are no troops on these islands, and a hundred
soldiers have to go immediately as a reenforcement, although the
weather is tempestuous. I expect to be one of them, if the governor
will give me permission.
These enemies, who have in truth remained here, are a warlike people;
and if your Excellency do not provide by this ship, and reenforce us
with a thousand soldiers, these islands can be of little value. May
your Excellency with great prudence provide what is most necessary
for his Majesty's service, since we have no resource other than the
favor your Excellency shall order to be extended to us.
The governor was disposed to send assistance to the ship, which was a
very important affair; but after these events he will not be able to do
it, because there do not remain in this city seventy men who can bear
arms. May our Lord guard the most illustrious and excellent person of
your Excellency and increase your estate, as your Excellency's servants
desire. From Cabite, June 25, 1582. Most excellent and illustrious sir,
your servant kisses your Excellency's hands.
_Juan Baptista Roman_