A small ship leaving this port for the city of Malaca carried two
descalced religious of the order of St. Francis. As the king of Burney
was at peace with us, they stopped at the port of Mohala which is
two leagues from Burney. They visited the king, to whom they gave
my letters, and were well received by him. He commanded houses to be
given them and everything necessary to assure their sustenance. One
night many people of that kingdom attacked them, among whom, it
is said, there were a brother and other kinsmen of the king. They
killed three Spaniards, among them one of the religious, and robbed
them of all their possessions. From those who escaped I learned that
the assaulting party were people well known in Burney, and that the
spoils were sold publicly in that city. Some articles were seen in
the possession of the king's kinsmen. I learned that some chiefs of
these islands had intrigued with that people to secure their aid;
and that they had plotted together to do this, and had agreed to bring
Burney and the kings of Jolo and of Mindanao, and many other foreigners
against this city, in order to rob and kill us. As there was a Japanese
ship here, they conferred with the captain, and with people who came
from that land, all Japanese, proposing that the latter should aid
them with what they had, and with supplies and everything necessary,
and thus deliver to them this land, in accordance with the plan and
arrangements previously agreed upon. So well did they keep this secret,
during fifteen months while they were awaiting a favorable opportunity,
that they were not even suspected by myself, or the religious, or any
other person. To accomplish their design, they despatched the chiefs
of these islands to Burney, and to the other kingdoms three chiefs of
their number. They wrote to Japon, so that, at the appointed time,
all would come; and all were given orders as to what they were to
do. I made secret investigations, and found out that all the aforesaid
was true; and in a short time I had in my hands the guilty ones who