Note 67 — Chapter XL

In this triennium I became prior of the convent of Santísimo Niño de Jesús, which has in the city of Manila some six hundred pesos of annuity, which is the source of that house’s growth in the sixty-eight years of the Spaniards’ occupation. In the year 1628 I sent a religious to collect that money. He was a conventual in that convent, virtuous, an excellent preacher, and very zealous for that convent; he was a native of Sevilla. He was empowered sufficiently to attend to what might arise for the good of that convent. He made his trip to Manila successfully, and returned to his convent after concluding what had been entrusted to him. On August 29 of the same year, he left Manila aboard a champan, the “San Nicolás,” belonging to the alcalde-mayor of Panay, for he had to make in the island some collections of rice that were given to the said convent. He took two Spaniards with him—one Jacinto de Lanzacorta, who had married there; the other Alférez Peña—both devotees of San Nicolás de Tolentino as no less was the owner of the champan, which he had commended to that saint. As they were coming in the boat one night, aided by the vendaval, and as they neared Ilagán (one of the longest crossings that voyagers have to make there), the wind strengthened so that the waves rolled sky-high. Either through the carelessness of the steersman, or because the rudder was out of order, or the sea too heavy, the rudder parted atwain, and the boat was without other help than that of heaven. For these Sangley boats are flat bottomed, and the mast is very high; accordingly, all the strength lies in the rudder by which they are directed—better than the best bitted horse is governed. The champan tossed fearfully, so that it was regarded as a good plan to cut down the mast. That was a precaution that the Sangleys do not practice, and hence the sea easily swallows them. This being done, the champan was very quiet; and, although they were in evident danger of death, they did not lose the hopes which they placed in the glorious saint, confident, by his intercession, of life and arrival at Panay. For three days they were the sport of wind and weather, awaiting what the Lord would do with them, until on Saturday afternoon the same champan entered the port of an islet two leguas from Burías. It was a miraculous thing, for when they were rowing the champan and that but slowly, they were not able to know the route, and hit upon it without any guidance, for already they had left it. It was God’s mercy which was extended to that religious; for, had not the champan made port, they had fallen into the hands of the men of Joló, who were sailing about those islands of Burías and Masbate. They remained there a fortnight, without being able to repair the champan in order to make their journey until our Lord was pleased to have the same mast that they cut down in the champan drift into the port, for the islet contained no suitable trees. They repaired the champan with that mast, made a half-way rudder and a jury-mast, and set sail on the sea for Panay, from which they were not very far. But, after sighting the land of Panay, so furious a storm struck them that they were unable to contend with it, as the champan lacked strength in the rudder. They ran aground stern first on the coast of Camarines, which was very near by, and which they had been prevented from reaching by a calm, and had been awaiting a slight breeze. It was our Lord’s pleasure that they should be espied by a fleet of Camucones, who were going through that region, plundering whatever they might encounter in their raids. These are a very warlike people, and so cruel that, whenever they capture a Spaniard, they will not let him escape alive under any consideration; for after they have tied him to the mast of the boat, they cut off his head and drink from the skull. They slit the religious up the back and roast them, or set them in the sun, for they say, just as we do, “So many enemies the less.” Then indeed did they re-commend themselves to St. Nicholas; as they believed (and rightly) that this was a greater danger than the past one, because of the less mercy that they could find in the bowels of those utter barbarians. At length, they boarded the tender of the champan and rowed ashore. The glorious saint whom they were taking as patron hid their route from the Camucones in such wise that they were not followed, for they could have easily been overtaken in two strokes of the oar. They betook themselves inland to the mountains, where their sufferings were not abated, for they were barefoot and naked, until they reached the convents of our father St. Francis, where they found hospitable welcome, aid, care, and provision. In their journeyings they reached the shipyard, where a vessel was being built; for it was necessary to get a champan there to go to Panay, and they found one. They left the shipyard November 21, and reached Panay next day. After a few days the enemy from Joló went to the shipyard, burned it, killed many people, captured others, took away the artillery, and committed great damage, although there were sufficient men in the shipyard to defend it from a greater force. But the Spaniard can never be persuaded of any danger, until it is upon him. Juan Martín, the best and most reliable shipmaster in the Filipinas, was killed there. It was a great loss, for there was no other who could fill the position like him. But the Lord did not choose that the champan should be lost; for the Camucones did not break it up, as is their wont, but abandoned it after having plundered its articles of value—which were considerable, and which caused great loss to the province. The Sangleys, after seeing that the enemy had gone, went out to the champan, righted it, and returned it to its owner—who never lost hope of obtaining it, for he believed thoroughly in the saint. Sargento Jacinto de Lanzacorta, very thankful for this, celebrates a feast to St. Nicholas every year. Father Fray Pedro de Torres67 says that he arrived at Sugbú in the first part of February, where he had been regarded as lost, for he was more than five months in making the trip from Manila to Sugbú. During the whole time he suffered very many hardships, from which St. Nicholas freed him. The most Holy Child returned to His house, so that He might be served therein.