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. 24]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 24

doubtless have turned keel up. To see so many men
perish there and so much property lost, was a day of
judgment- an event such as no one remembers to
have heard told before. The artillery was fired at
intervals from the fort of Cavite, whereat the governor and many vessels came up. I was the first to
escape from the ship, but as by a miracle; for I
jumped into the water from the lantern, clothed as
I was with my black habit. By God's help I was
enabled to reach a small boat, in which I escaped,
as above described. May the Lord's will be fulfilled. With this I have been in danger of death
seven times from the water while in the islands,
whence the Lord by His mercy has miraculously
drawn and freed me. The first was shortly after my
arrival in the country, at Aclan. While bathing in
the river, suddenly a current came whose rapidity
seized me and bore me beyond my depth. I was
already lost and surrendered myself to the mercy of
the water, for I could not swim. God inspired a
sacristan who was there, who dived quickly into the
water, followed me, and, catching hold of me, drew
me ashore. The second was while prior of Ibahay,
and when I was visiting the islands. While crossing
to one, so fierce a storm struck me that the Indians
gave up hope, and thought only of dying. The little
boat was a poor one, without helm or sail. All
human aid being exhausted, I had recourse to the
[departed] souls, who obtained a change of wind
from the Lord; thus, with a powerful north wind,
and the anchor thrown astern from a cable to aid as
a rudder, we reached a little islet at two o'clock at
night. There we moored, that stormy night. As
soon as we reached the islet, the vendaval began to