The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 2]

I44

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 2

nition aboard the ship. The twenty-seventh of
November was set for their desertion, and to avoid
pursuit the " San Pablo" and the frigates that had
been built were to be sunk. The date, for some unknown reason, was postponed until the twenty-eighth.
On that day the master of the " San Pablo " divulged
the conspiracy to the master-of-camp, who immediately informed Legazpi. Pablos Hernandez, a native of Venice, the head of the conspiracy, fled, first
making an ineffectual attempt to assume the ecclesiastical garb, in order that he might escape with his life.
Finally " he determined to die as a Christian, in order
that his soul might not be lost;" he gave himself up,
and was hanged. The French pilot, Pierres Plin, and
a Greek were also hanged. The others were pardoned after being severely reprimanded. More than
forty persons were implicated in this conspiracy.
" The governor imposed only one order upon the
foreigners, namely that none of them should speak
any other language than Spanish." It was discovered
that some of these men had conspired while at Puerto
de la Navidad to make off with the "San Lucas,"
and that one night the sails had been lowered on the
" San Pablo " under pretext that Legazpi's ship had
done the same, the intention being to desert.
Through the promptness of the master-of-camp, who
threatened to hang the pilots if they lost sight of the
' San Pedro," the conspiracy was foiled. The
mutiny suppressed, attention was given to securing
food. Five praus of natives set out for the province
of Baybay, taking with them articles of barter - Legazpi preferring that natives should go on this errand, as he feared that the Spaniards would wrong
the islanders. These men delayed, as well as those