[Relation of events in the Philippine Islands and other surrounding regions, from the
month of July, 1629, until that of 1630.] »
I shall commence tlie affairs of these islands with the expedition to
Jolo. It is an island of the Archipelago, rebellions for years past, and
its natives, who are Mohammedans, have made a thousand incursions
against us in these islands, pillaging whenever opportunity arises, burn-
ing villages and churches, and capturing numerous people.
In order to remedy all these evils. Governor Don Juan Nino de Ta-
bora detennined to equip a powerful fleet in order h) destroy that enemy
and conquer a stronghold which nature has made in their island so lofty
and so difficult of approach that there is no better stone castle, for the
approach to it is by one path, and it has some artillery which defends
it. The people are courageous and warlike. For our fleet were col-
lected 1 galley, 3 brigantines, 12 freight chanqnmes (which are like small
pataches,^ and about 50 caracoas. The last named are the usual craft
of these islands, and generally have thirty or forty oars on a side. All
these vessels together carried about 400 Spaniards and 2,500 Indians,
and they had considerable apparatus and war supplies. It was quite
sufficient for another conquest of greater importance than the one on
which they were going.
All that fleet departed, then, from the port of Dapitan on March 17.
Dapitan is the port nearest to the enemy, and the Island of Sulu was
reached in [blank space in the Ventura del Arco MS.] days. At dawn
our men were landed, and began the ascent to the stronghold. The mas-
ter-of-camp, Don Lorenzo de Olaso, who was commander in chief of
the fleet, preceded the men. The Sulus defended their stronghold with
valor. They killed scmie of our men and wounded eight, among them
the master-of-camp himself. He was overthrown, as if dead, and went
rolling down the hill. However, he was not dead, but only wounded,
nothing more. Our men retired on the run, and to speak plainly, sueli
terror entered into them that they did not dare to attack again. They
skirted the island in their craft, entered the villages, burned, wrecked,
destroyed them, and killed a few people. They brought back some cap-
tives with them whom the Sulus had taken from us. A violent storm
overtook them, which compelled them to weigh anchor, and they retired
stealthily. Thus so powerful a fleet as that was lost. It was such a
fleet that never has one like it been made for the Indies in these islands.
The Sulu enemy were left triumphant, and so insolent that we fear that
they will make an end of the Islands of the Pintados [Bisayas] which
are the nearest ones to them, and which they infest and pillage with great facility.
