as I have said, being masters of the sea, and the inward passage,
God chose to allow an entrance to our fathers (who were coming to a
meeting of the congregation), by permitting them to come. Scarcely
had they entered when the enemy returned to occupy his position. The
same thing happened after the meeting, and the return of the fathers,
a remarkable providence of the lord.

A few days after, three galliots arrived from Macan, laden with
a rich cargo of silks and other merchandise. They entered without
finding any obstruction, because the enemy had gone out to sea; and
the four hours of their absence were enough to enable the galliots
to enter. They had news of it, and returned at dawn the next day
to see if it was true; and were furious at seeing them anchored in
our harbors. At this same time the king's ship arrived which had
carried to Macan artillery for the defense of that city, and it
brought back a cargo of silks. Being informed that the enemy were
lying off the entrance to the port of Manila, they rowed over to an
island near here, and collected a quantity of green boughs and trees,
putting bunches of palm-leaves on the tops of the trees, so that they
seemed to be cocoa-palms, of which there is a great abundance on that
island. The stratagem worked, because the ships went about from one
tack to the other without being seen by the Dutch. In the same way,
another Portuguese galliot, also of Macan, escaped, although it cut
down its masts. The Dutch, having seen that they were likely to get
little booty on this coast, made sail for that of Macan, to lie in
wait, as we understood, for ships from India.

Last year two ships sailed from these islands for Nueva España. The
almiranta, while sailing out of a strait where these islands come
to an end, encountered seven hurricanes, so furious that it seemed