The Spaniards entered the town, and set free two Chinamen, who were
kept there in chains. They learned from these men the ostensible
reason for their imprisonment, as follows. Two Chinese ships had come
to trade with the Moros in this river; but, hearing of our presence
in Mindoro, they desired to betake themselves thither. The Moros
would not allow them to go away. In the quarrel that ensued over
the question of their departure, the Chinese fired a culverin from
one of the ships and killed a Moro chief. The Moros assembled to
avenge him, and overtook the Chinese as they were about to sail out
to sea through the estuary. It seems that the vessels were wrecked
on certain shoals at the entrance to the estuary, and the Chinese
with all their possessions fell into the power of the Moros, who
inflicted on them a severe punishment--seizing them all, and putting
them to death by inches in a most cruel manner, flaying their faces,
and exposing them on reeds and mats. When the Spaniards entered the
town, they encountered not a few similar sights; and so recent was
this deed that the flayed faces of the Chinese were still bleeding.

Such was the account given by Captain Joan de Salcedo of what had
occurred that day during his absence from the master-of-camp. The
Balayan Moros who had come out peacefully detained the master-of-camp
there for three or four days, giving him, little by little, some
impure gold. The latter, to avoid any further delay, decided to
proceed to Manilla. Accordingly, he left these Moros, on peaceful
terms, telling them to collect for his return what was lacking of
the amount promised. Then he sailed along the coast toward Manilla,
which was said to be three leagues from that town. The chiefs of this
town of Balayan said that they wished to accompany the Spaniards
one day's journey from their town, in order to avenge themselves
for injuries and wrongs received at the hands of some neighboring