_Of what was passing in the Filipinas_
It appears that matters at Sugbú were now running more smoothly, for
that chief, the husband of the Indian princess (whom the governor
ordered to be treated with consideration), collected as much as he
could carry, and came into the governor's presence, to give it to him
in exchange for his wife. The governor, who saw the way opened for a
great stroke, told him that his wife was not a captive, nor did the
Spaniards come with any intention whatever of capturing the people, but
rather to give liberty to those who were captives. There was his wife,
and he could ascertain from her what treatment had been shown her,
and he could take her away at once, together with what he had brought
to ransom her. As soon as that barbarian heard this, he wept for joy,
and threw himself at the governor's feet, which he tried to kiss. He
said that the Castilians were in truth good men, and that the reports
that the Indians had had hitherto were malicious. The people that
acted thus could only have good bowels and a guileless heart--this is
their peculiar mode of expression. His wife was given to him, whereat
he was very happy. They talked so well to the Chief Tupas, that he
came in the morning with a great following of his slaves, friends,
and relatives, the most gallant that could come in his train. All, in
sincerity and without pretense, offered themselves again to the service
of the Castilas [i.e., Castilians], as they called and continue to call
the Spaniards. Three of the fathers remained in the island, namely,
father Fray Martin de Rada, father Fray Diego de Herrera, and father
Fray Pedro de Gamboa. These began, with great assiduity, to study
the language, to endeavor to teach the Indians, and to instruct them
in the holy mysteries of our faith. The Indians listened closely and
attentively to them. He who accomplished most was father Fray Martín
de Rada, who, being a man of great imagination, in a short time laid
up great riches, and made considerable gain among the natives. And,
in fact, when I was in the island of Sugbú in the year 1612, as
a conventual in the convent of the natives, called San Nicolás, I
saw a lexicon there, compiled by father Fray Martín de Rada, which
contained a great number of words. This must have been of no little
aid to those who came afterward. The fathers did not dare baptize
the Indians immediately; for, on the one hand, they feared their
fickleness, since they knew with what ease those who had received
baptism in the time of General Magallanes, had apostatized. Besides,
the fathers did not know what orders would be given them, or whether
they would be commanded to retire. Thus they were very considerate
and circumspect in everything, but did not neglect, for all that,
to labor in the field, in order that they might afterward gather
abundance of fruit.
The religious endeavored to have the children of the most prominent
people come to the convent, or to that house wherein they were living,
in order that they might give them instruction, and teach them to read
and write. Since they were the newest plants, necessarily they would
receive the teaching better, and the new customs would be impressed
more easily upon them than on those already hardened and petrified in
their old customs. The Indians assented readily to this, for already
with their subjection, they felt some indescribable superiority in
the Spaniards which obliged them to regard the latter with fear and
respect. Much more so did they regard the fathers, upon seeing the
reverence with which the captains treated them, who always kissed
their hands on seeing them. This custom has remained even until the
present in the islands. However, they do not kiss the hand, but the
habit or girdle. I suppose that the fathers' modesty would not permit
the captains to kiss the hand, and they substituted therefor the habit
or girdle. Upon the Indians seeing this, they have followed the same
custom. Consequently, as a rule, when an Indian comes to talk to a
father, he kisses the latter's hand. With this instruction that the
fathers continued to give the youth, the Indians were becoming more
harmonized, and began to lose their previous horror of the Spaniards,
and on the other hand, to love them. Most of them begged the fathers
to please make them Christians.
A miracle which happened at that time aided in this. A fire catching
in some of the soldiers' quarters on a holiday (namely, All-Saints'
day of 1566), many houses were burned, among them that in which the
fathers were living. Meanwhile another and larger house was being
built. The religious had erected a bamboo cross at the door of the said
house. The bamboos are very thick in those islands and so plentiful
that they are used for masts and yards for the caracoas; and they
make the best, for they are very strong, of slight weight, and can be
raised and lowered easily. Then the fire breaking out so furiously
had burned more than thirty houses within an incredibly short time,
and among these was ours. The flame enveloped the cross on all sides,
but did not burn it, or even smoke it. When the religious saw the
present marvel, they had the bells rung as a sign of rejoicing. Upon
the Spaniards and Indians coming to see what was the matter, they
looked at it not without great wonder, for wonder was caused by the
fire's so great respect for that cross. From that time the natives
began to have a deeper idea of the mysteries preached to them by the
religious, since they saw the proof of them with their own eyes.
Another miracle almost similar happened in Nueva España, when that
great pirate Franco Draque [i.e., Francis Drake] was coasting those
shores. He was English by nation, but had been reared many years
in España; [32] so that the proverb which says, "Rear a crow, and
it will tear your eye out," might be fulfilled. When this man was
passing through the Strait of Magallanes, and coasting the southern
shores, then much neglected, many were the depredations that he
committed. He set fire to whatever he found, and burned it in his
fury. When he arrived at the coast of Colima [in Peru], there was a
shipyard in one of those ports, where a frigate was being built for
the pearl-fishery. It was already completed below its cabin. Draque
ordered it fired, and such was its material that it was quickly
converted into ashes. Hut a cross which had been raised above the
cabin was uninjured by the fire, as a thing against which flames have
no power. Running through the land and along the coasts, the citizens
of the town of Colima came to the cabin, and among its ashes saw the
cross, clean and shining. This gave them no little consolation, and
they regarded that occurrence as a miracle, namely, that the fire that
had destroyed so great a structure, had reserved only the cross. The
citizens did not keep it, but cut it into splinters, and divided it
among themselves. Although one cannot but praise their zeal in this,
yet it would have been better had they adorned a church with it,
so that the memory of the miracle would last longer.