as if the sea would swallow it up; and those who were aboard gave
themselves up a thousand times for lost. They tried to make port in
Japon, but it was impossible; and they finally arrived at Manila,
rounding Cabo del Bojeador. The men arrived in very bad condition,
and many of them blinded with the salt water which had dashed into
their eyes. Three days before these tempests commenced they sighted
the capitana, but never saw her again. We do not know here what became
of her, whether she was lost or arrived safely in Nueva España.

At nine o'clock in the evening on the eleventh of May, there was an
occurrence in this city as pitiable as it was unfortunate, the cause
of it being a man who had been expelled from our Society. After having
been a member of it for seven years, he left the Society, and was
married three times, although he was not yet thirty years old. Our
Lord often brought him back, warned by bitter experience of troubles
and remorse of conscience; so that for a long time he did not dare
to go to sleep without first confessing himself--especially on the
long trip from Nueva España to these islands, where he was wrecked on
a ship which was on its way with silver and other wealth belonging
to these islands. The vessel escaped miraculously, with sails torn
by shots from three Dutch vessels, which they took for one of their
own. They ran aground, but all the silver was saved. Among others Joan
de Messa (the name of the outcast of whom I have just spoken) removed
all the silver and goods, to the value of thirty thousand pesos or
more, belonging to people in Mexico. It had been entrusted to him,
and he kept it, as was done by all, in a house and church of one of
our residences, situated where the ship happened to halt. While he
was there he proceeded as if he were a religious, both in example
and in frequenting the sacrament, until he came to this city of
Manila--where, with certain curious articles, he obtained entrance