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

thanked God for so many mercies. The fifth was by
falling into the Dumangas River from a little boat.
The above one of the ship is the sixth. I have left
untold countless other dangers, while on the sea so
many times-now from enemies, now from the
weather. The seventh time is the loss of Sugbu,
after the burning of that city and convent. It is not
little to tell what the missionaries suffer here; but, as
they are caused by works for God, His [Divine]
Majesty aids us with His help and protection, when
by any other means it seems impossible to save one's
life on account of the enemies and hardships that
surround a religious on all sides. May thanks be
given to His [Divine] Majesty for all. Amen.
In 1631 there happened a wonderful thing in
Sugbui. On account of the ill-success achieved at
Jo16, the governor sent Sargento-mayor Tufino to
Sugbui, so that, being posted in Dapitan (situated in
Mindanao), he might prove an obstacle to the Joloans, so that they should not infest the islands. He
reached the city of Santisimo Nombre de Jesus, and
was lodged in a house belonging to the convent,
opposite the prison; the two houses are separated
only by a very wide street. The sargento-mayor
stored his powder, amounting to sixteen barrels, in
his house. The prison caught afire. All the people
ran thither, since if the fire leaped to the house
opposite, and caught in the powder, the city would
surely be blown to pieces. The most Holy Child
was immediately taken out, at sight of whom the
fire was checked, and burned only the nipas of that
piece, and left the supports on which it rests intact.
This is the latest thing [of this sort] that has been
seen. It was a solemn miracle; but that Lord who
is omnipotent in all things can do this.