Before the return of the fleet, they sent in the wounded on either side (who were numerous) to this city, where they were tended with great care. A Dutch surgeon helped in the treatment of the Dutch and Spaniards. That surgeon had been aboard the enemy’s flagship, and he displayed great skill. The governor went to visit his soldiers upon his arrival, and consoled them for their pains, and praised them as brave and valiant men. The sick men were greatly consoled at that. Before entering Cavite, the governor assembled the volunteers, and thanked them in his Majesty’s name for their toil, and for the good that they had achieved. He assured them that he would without fail assist their necessities, since they had also assisted the king’s service. To those who had died in their services for all, his Lordship instituted certain honors with a mass and sermon in [the church of] St. Francis in this city; and he erected for them a rich catafalque, elegantly adorned. This catafalque had three square stories. On each corner was a pyramid. On the last story was a tomb covered with crimson brocade from the spoil, instead of the pall. The rest of the catafalque was filled with tapers, and Latin and Spanish epitaphs, and with images of mortality [muertes], with appropriate inscriptions. The church was all hung with different colored silks, and displayed signs of gladness rather than of weeping, because of the so glorious death of those who perished. On them were conferred the following honors: the pontifical chant; the mass by the bishop of Macao, in the presence of the governor, Audiencia, the ecclesiastical and secular cabildos, and all the orders. After that the spoils were distributed. They were very rich, for the said vessels contained a quantity of silk and silver (not to mention the hulls of the vessels, the ammunition, and more than fifty pieces of artillery), and other things such as wine, oil, etc.—all worth three or four hundred thousand pesos.
Many of the Dutch who were wounded have confessed, and died reconciled to the Church. Among them was the master who, as I said above, had prevented the fire, in order not to lose his soul. We hope that he gained his soul, for he died from a wound received in the flight from the battle, with signs of great repentance for his sins, and leaving excellent pledges of his salvation. Father Andres de la Camara, of the Society of Jesus, attended to the Dutch. He was a native of Gante [i.e., Ghent], and although he has seldom used his own language [i.e., the Flemish] for eighteen or twenty years, one would believe that our God’s mercy aided him with especial efficacy; for he conversed with the Dutch elegantly and fluently of the divine mysteries. Such is the outcome of the war. Now we shall recount something of other matters concerning what I have thus far told.
A ship of Chinese merchants went to Maluco to trade merchandise with the Dutch. The latter gave the captain of the said vessel, called Caichuan, a general, fourteen thousand pesos to invest in trust for them. He returned to China, and thinking that it was a good sum, and that there was no one to bring suit against him, he kept the said money, as he never again expected to see the Dutch. Some of the interested persons were in these Dutch vessels, and they did not fail to ask, of every ship that they seized, after that of Cachuan, and threatened to punish him severely if they caught him. Had he been seized, it would have been a great loss to this city, for, as is affirmed, he brought fifty thousand pesos invested by our citizens. His time to come arrived, and when he least expected it, he found himself near the Dutch patache. He started to escape, and the patache to pursue him. Cachuan, seeing himself closely pursued, cried out to his men that there was good hope of help, and advised them all to kneel down and ask protection of the God of the Castilas [i.e., Castilians] as they call us—saying that He was sufficiently able to deliver that ship from the Dutch, since it contained so much property of those who adored and served Him. They prayed, whereupon a fresh wind immediately came, which took them, against their wish, to an unknown islet, where the patache lost sight of them. The Chinese did not cease to pray as above for the space of five days, twice each day. At the end of that time, they had a favorable wind, with the aid of which they entered the channel used by the ships of Castilla, many leguas from their right and usual path, and at last reached port in safety after the victory.
The ship from Japon for which the Dutch had so ardent a desire ran great risk in its voyage. It arrived [in Japon] after a violent gale, almost under water, without rigging and masts. There it learned from the Dutch factors that their vessels were about to come to harass these islands. On that account they did not return as quickly as they intended, waiting until they believed that we had already driven the Dutch away with our fleet. Although, when they had reached the province of Pangasinan, we had already obtained the victory, still they had no news of it. Accordingly, assured of finding enemies, they went into a safe river after landing their cargo, because of the bar, which was dangerous. Then when about to leave the river again, after hearing the good news, they were wrecked, and lost considerable property, besides their boat.
The vessel from Macao, laden with wealth of amber, musk, pearls, and precious stones, and more than three hundred slaves, would have fallen into the hands of the Dutch, who were awaiting it, had not a shoal stopped it, and knocked it to pieces, and caused the death of some hundred persons of the five hundred aboard it. Among the drowned were two ecclesiastics who were returning from Macao, but recently ordained priests; and Captain Tijon, who not a few times had escaped from similar shipwrecks. The rest of the people went to an uninhabited island, where the Lord had prepared for their support a great number of turtles, and of the birds called boobies [bobos, i.e., “stupid”],[15] to which this name is applied because they allow themselves to be caught with the hand. After the wreck of that ship, Garci Perez de Baltasar, appointed sargento-mayor of this camp, embarked in a small boat which they fitted up, with as many people as it could carry, to beg that some one be sent from this city to get the people on the island. After several days’ voyage, they were seen and perceived by the Dutch, which obliged them to ground their boat on the beach and take to the woods inland. They all escaped overland, and arrived safely at Manila; their boat was burned by the Dutch. When the expedition against the latter was ended, they sent for the people who had been left on the island; but as yet they have not arrived.
In the beginning of January, 1610, a fragata was sent to Macao with warning for the said ship to remain there until the Dutch were driven from these seas. As commander in it was the pilot, Juan Bernardo de Fuentidueñas, who was sick with the fever. He went on the voyage, and before dawn of Thursday, January 28, ran foul of a reef, where no land could be seen in any direction, except a few rocky points at low tide. The fever left the pilot at this sudden catastrophe, and at dawn the Spaniards saw on the reefs a large ship, that looked like a Chinese vessel, which had been wrecked. They went to this vessel to get its small boats. Entering it, they found not a soul, living or dead. But they found considerable silver scattered about. Not content with what they found in the vessel, the Indians began to dive into the water to see if they could find any more. Their efforts were not in vain, for they must have found in that way about eight thousand reals of eight to the peso, although somewhat oxidized by the sea-water. From the top of the little elevation, an islet was discovered, of not more than one legua in circumference. They went thither in successive trips of the small boat, and found three Lequian Indians, who had been there for months. They were the only survivors of ten who had left their country. On this island, the Spaniards refitted, as well as possible, their boat and another one that the Lequians had at hand, although it was also small. They divided themselves between the two boats, and taking as much of the money as they could carry, started for Macao. A short time after, a very violent vendaval struck and separated the boats. The boat of the pilot Fuentidueña, obedient to the waves, was able to escape the danger and reach its destination. Nothing is known of the other. It is regarded as certain that it has foundered, and that its occupants have perished. The ship for which they were looking in order to warn it had left Macao five days before for Manila, where the pilot himself returned many days after. Upon his relation of the event, he was sent as pilot of the boat that went to look for the men of the wrecked ship. On the way, perhaps he will look for the reef or the Chinese ship again, in order to finish getting what money it has.
Three ships left here in July of 1609 for Nueva España, and all of them were exposed to dangers and storms. The ship “San Andres,” which was almiranta, and was the only one to reach Nueva España, encountered so terrific storms that its bow was under water during most of the voyage, and they were in so great danger that the pilot vowed never to embark again—a very rare thing.
The ship “Santa Ana,” almost entirely dismantled by the violent winds and heavy seas, reached Japon, and its arrival there was through not a little of God’s mercy. Although it remained thirteen days aground in a port of the kingdom of Bungo,[16] still it did not go to pieces. On the contrary it was able to refit, and intends to prosecute its voyage this June of 1610.
The ship “San Francisco” of the said two ships [that failed to reach Nueva España] encountered a greater storm. From the first it gave the passengers plenty of fear, both because of its dangerous leaks and a poor helm, and because of the disservices to the Divine Majesty which were committed. To narrate all its fortunes would be long, so I shall content myself by referring to some of them. In this country, leave to return to Castilla is granted with difficulty.[17] Accordingly, certain persons desirous of returning are wont to go below deck and conceal themselves until the ship is fifteen or sixteen days at sea, at which time they open the hatchway and come out into the light of day. Such people are called llovidos [i.e., stowaways; literally, “those rained down”], and feed themselves from the stores of the passengers. While they remain hidden, they open jars of food and liquor, which causes not a little annoyance to their owners. After coming out of their place of concealment, they accommodate themselves one day with one mess, and next with another, and thus exist throughout the voyage. One day a passenger of high rank gave a blow to one of these persons. The aggrieved one was so overwhelmed with sadness and grief from what had happened to him, that he appeared inconsolable. One of our fathers, talking to him in order to console him, found him like one demented, and he seemed to rave. Finally, when it was least expected in the ship, the poor wretch cast himself into the sea. It was noted with wonder that, although he made no movement with his body or tried to swim—which he could have done, as the weather was fair—he floated above water for half a legua. Later, during the last storm, a wave washed off the man who struck him, and he was found drowned on the strand, a most hideous and misshapen mass. During the first gale the ship, at its beginning, because of obeying its helm poorly, was struck head on. The sails pulled with such force on the masts, that, as the captain dared not take them in, they were blown into shreds. The pilots began to throw overboard whatever was above decks, until nothing was left on them. They threw overboard the boat, and the boxes and bales of merchandise On that account the sailors lost their poor possessions, and some of the passengers lost a goodly amount. The ship tossed and rolled frightfully, and dipped below the water on both sides. Consequently it shipped so much water that it was generally half an estado deep above decks. The waves were furious and high, and so great that the fore and after cabins shipped water. One wave carried away a considerable portion of the stern gallery, together with four little slave girls who were in it. In this way they passed one night, almost in despair of seeing the morrow. But day came, and they repaired the ship by binding other sails that were carried for that purpose. After this storm the ship was very crank, and even in fair weather its sides were under water, although it had a high freeboard. Consequently, it shipped so much water that the waves washed over the decks with great noise and uproar, and entered the berths where the better-class passengers are generally quartered. The rigging had to be repaired piecemeal. Consequently, for those reasons, and as the vessel lacked other necessities, some tried to make them put back to Manila. However, this was without effect, and they proceeded on their way with some storms; and in the last, which was frightful, the people had no safety, even inside the boat, for the waves tore them from it, and drew men after them. The ship leaked very badly, and consequently it was necessary to work the pumps continually. All, seeing the danger before their face, helped in this; even Don Rodrigo de Bivero,[18] who had just completed his office as president of the Audiencia and governor and captain-general, assisted in his turn, as did Father Pedro de Montes and the other religious.
Finally, at the end of this struggle, they were wrecked on the coast of the kingdom of Ouantu, at the head of Japon, in almost its extreme east. That coast extends from the kingdom to the district of Ximo, where the port of Nangasaqui is located. Thence many vessels sail to Manila annually, which is farther west.[19]