and they would have to force an entrance, which they did not dare
attempt in their small boats. The pirates therefore began a hurried
march along shore toward the city, dragging their lances. They
arrived at the city somewhere between nine and ten o'clock in the
morning. The first house attacked was that of the master-of-camp,
Martin de Goite; he was sick in bed at the time. Already some natives
had come to him from the shore, shouting at the tops of their voices
that enemies were near, and that the king of Borney was coming down
upon the Castilians. Now as Martin de Goite knew that this was the
season of the brisas, and that it was impossible to come from Borney,
which lies to the southwest, because the wind was dead ahead, and not
believing in the possibility of other enemies, he laughed at the men,
telling them that they were drunken. Meanwhile, the advance-guard of
the squadron was near the house, when he arose, put on a suit of mail,
and took a sword with which to defend himself. It is believed that
the Chinese were passing straight ahead toward the governor's house
and the artillery, guided by the spy whom they brought with them, for
they were stealing along the shore forward. This would have meant the
total destruction of this city and camp; for your Majesty's houses,
being at the extreme end of the point of land made by the sea and the
river, were without any defense. The inhabitants of the city were each
in his own house, and the artillery was lying on the ground dismounted,
the pieces scattered here and there throughout the camp. The point of
the island once occupied, the Spaniards had no place wherein to gather
and fortify themselves, so that they could have a safe position back
of them. God provided this, for it is said that, when the enemies came
marching in line along the seacoast, the wife of Martin de Goite,
the master-of-camp, was looking out of a window which faced the
seacoast. She had a child's helmet on her head, and she called and
beckoned to them, telling them in Castilian that they were dogs, and