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. 13]

1604-1605]

CHIRINO'S RELATION

63

ment for much good to those souls. What he has accomplished and is still accomplishing in that doctrina
causes me unusual edification and consolation; for in
truth, if I may judge by what I myself see when I
go there, and by the common account of all, both
Spaniards and Indians, even one of our fathers who
might have been stationed in that village could not
have wrought such results as he has done. And this
I say without exaggeration; God provides it all, and
blessed be Hel This village of Paranas is on the
coast, and contains a few Indian fishermen, but there
are many Indians in the mountains, divided, scattered, and far away; some of these have established
their abodes on the coast, but they frequent it but
rarely, and are (or rather were) a very churlish and
fugitive people. Yet Don Gongalo (that is the name
of the fiscal) has taken hold of them in such a way
that he does what he will with them, and that, too,
by so quiet, gentle, and efficacious means as to cause
one to wonder. Although it is exceedingly difficult
to attract their young children from home (especially
among those who dwell in the mountains) Don GonSalo draws them to himself by the same means
that I have already mentioned, and to such
an extent that he usually has in his house nearly
a hundred young boys; such was their number
the other day, when I was there, and now he
tells me that some twenty or thirty more have
just come. He now has them so tamed, gentle,
intelligent, and contented that, considering their
former savage and terrible character, I know not
how I can certify it. Those who formerly knew lit2A town on the western coast of Samar, ten miles east of
Catbalogan.