Gabriel de Ribera Miguel Godinez
Before me:
Benito de Mendiola, notary of the fleet
In the village of Mindanao, on the sixth day of the month of April of the said year, Sibahandil, chief of the village of Silangay; Simangao, of this village of Mindanao; Simaganchina, of Catiman; and Sibandao, chief of this village, appeared before the captain and me, the notary, and witnesses, The said Bahandil gave an account of the tribute he had promised—two hundred yrcuvitillos of landan, each of them about one ganta; [41] and ten swine, large and small. The said Sibandao brought two hogs, and twenty tributes in rice, and medriñaque cloth, and two dishes from China, as tribute; for he gave nothing else. The said Sibangao gave four tributes in rice, each tribute of one chicuvite. The said Mahanchina gave twelve tributes in dishes as above mentioned. They said, through the said interpreter, that their reason for not coming before and not bringing tribute more fully was because of the great poverty that they were undergoing—since all the natives were in revolt and were suffering severely from famine, as they were all unwilling to come for peace. They asked pardon for their inability to do more. If they were at their own homes, they would pay more. The captain ordered it put down thus in the records. Witnesses, Francisco Velazquez, Ensign Melchor de Torres, Juan Lopez de Queto.
Grabiel de Ribera
Before me:
Benito de Mendiola, notary of the fleet
In the village of Mindanao, on the sixth day of the month of April, one thousand five hundred and seventy-nine, the illustrious Gabriel de Ribera, captain of infantry and of the fleet and men sent to pacify this island and that of Jolo by the very illustrious Doctor Francisco de Sande, governor and captain-general of these islands for his Majesty, made the following declaration. Inasmuch as his Grace has remained twenty-four days in this river and has done all that is declared in the records above, during all of which time he has striven to make peace and alliance with the petty king Limasancay and his chiefs, exercising for this purpose the utmost possible care, committing no injury—although indeed he has had much excuse therefor; and has contrived to have messengers sent to the said Limasancay, in order to confer with him, but the latter refused to talk, nor does anyone care to take a message to him, for they assert that they would be beheaded; and, besides, since Limasancay prevents his chiefs from coming to make peace; and although some chiefs have come to make peace and enroll themselves under his Majesty's protection (as, for instance, the chiefs of Silangay of this village of Mindanao and of Catituan), they do not pay us the tribute promised; and some of those who come bring two or three tributes of articles of little value, or of no importance, which is an ill way of amusing us, and of no advantage; and having seen the great need and lack of food suffered by the entire fleet, because of the long voyage and severe storms that they have experienced; and because of the many sick—each day both Spaniards and Indian rowers falling ill, because of the unhealthful climate of the land, and the lack of all food, except rice—and very little of that, on many days having only one ration a day, to all the people, both Bisayans and Moros; and considering the long voyage ahead of them, and the amount of work that must still be done in order to obey his Lordship's commands; and having no certain assurance of provisions—as this island is so short of them; and although his Grace sent Pedro de Oseguera with gold and articles of barter six days ago to search for food, still he is not sure that he has found it: therefore he said that he ordered, and he did order, all the vessels of this fleet to prepare to cross the bar, in order to make the voyage. His Grace ordered that a copy of a letter written in the Moro tongue, to the said Limasancay be placed in these records, so that it might be manifest. He signed the above. Witnesses, Francisco Velazquez, Tome de la Ysla, and Lope de Catalinaga
Gabriel de Ribera
Before me: