Gen. Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera relieved Salamanca before the
end of the year 1635 and continued the same policy with additional vigor
and great ability. He quickly resolved upon attacking the Moros in
their own strongholds, and thought that by crushing their power at home
he would be able to put an end to their piratical raids.
He arrived at Zamboanga February 22, 1636, proceeded first to Min-
danao, fought Corralat and destroyed some of his forts and sailed back
to Manila.^ Corcuera returned to Zamboanga in December, 1637, and
prepared for an expedition against Sulu. On January 1, 1638, he
embarked for Sulu with 600 Spanish soldiers, 1,000 native troops, and
many volunteers and adventurers. He had 80 vessels all told and
arrived at Jolo on the 4th.^
Anticipating an invasion. Sultan Bungsu had strengthened his gar-
risons and called for aid and reenforcements from Basilan, Tapul, and
Tawi-tawi. On his arrival Corcuera found the town well fortified and
the enemy strongly intrenched. The Moros were well disciplined and
had a well organized guard. The forts occupied strategic points and
were strongly defended ; the trenches were well laid, and the Moros shot
well and fought fearlessly.
Corcuera besieged the town with all his forces and attacked it repeat-
edly and valiently using powerful artillery, but he could not reduce it.
Several efforts to tunnel the walls or effect a breach in them by mines
were frustrated by the vigilance and intrepidity of the Sulus. The siege
lasted three months and a half, at the end of which time the Sulus
evacuated the town and retired to the neighboring hills, where they
intended to make the next staad. Corcuera, taking possession of the
town, reconstructed its forts and established three posts, one on the
hill, one at the river, and one on the sandbank in front of the town.
The garrison he established there consisted of 200 Spanish soldiers and
an equal number of Pampangans, under the command of Capt. Ginfe Eos
and Gaspar de Morales. In May Corcuera returned to Manila with all
the triumph of a conqueror, leaving Gen. Pedro Almonte, the senior
ofiScer next to himself in command of the expedition, as governor of
Zamboanga and Temate and chief of the forces in the south.
Soon after the establishment of the Jolo garrison, the Sulus under
Datu Ache attacked the soldiers in the quarry and killed a few Spaniards
and captured 40 Chinese and Negroes (galley slaves). This and other
depredations committed by the Sulus from time to time, some of which
were provoked by the ill behavior of the Spanish officers and troops,
forced Almonte in June, 1639, to come over to Sulu and take the field
a second time. With 3 captains and 1/200 Spanish and native soldiers,
he marched over tlie island, attacked the Sulus in tlieir homes, ])iimed
their houses and killed every man he could reach. It is said that he
hung t500 heads on the trees, liberated 112 Christian captives, and cap-
tured quantities of arms. When he asked the Gimbaha Sulus (at one
of the settlements of Parang) to submit to the sovereignty of Spain,
they refused to recognize his autliority, challenged his forces, and fought
him desperately. They wore helmets and armor and used spears and
swords. On one occasion. Captain Cepeda engaged them in battle
and returned with 300 captives, leaving on the field 400 dead, a fearful
lesson to tliose who survived. Cepeda lost 7 Spaniards and 20 natives
only, but he had a large number wounded.
Not satisfied with tlie havoc he wrought on the Island of Sulu, and
desiring to follow and catdi the fugitive sultan, Almonte invaded the
otlier large islands and followed the sultan and the datus all over the
Archipelago. At Tawi-tawi, however, he met with a reverse, and the
captain who led the expedition returned with considerable loss.
Soon after Almonte^s departure, the Sulus who had fled retunied and
lost no time or opportunity in harassing the garrison. Several piratical
excursions invaded the Bisayas and Camarines. Soon Dutch vessels,
invited by Sulu emissaries sent to Java, appeared in the vicinity of Zam-
boanga and Jolo and threatened the Spanish garrison and incited the
Moros to resist the Spaniards and attack their forces. Anticipating
trouble with the Dutch, and foreseeing the danger of maintaining a
garrison at Jolo under the circumstances, the Spaniards planned to
evacuate the town. Accordingly on the 14th of April, 1646, they left
Jolo. Before withdrawing their troops, they managed to make a treaty
with the Sulus, which took the form of an alliance both offensive and
defensive. The purpose of the treaty was declared to be the maintenance
of peace between both parties and mutual aid against foreign enemies.
In case of assistance against a foreign nation, the expenses of the war
were to be defrayed by the party requesting aid. The Spanish Govern-
ment recognized the supreme authority of the Sultan of Sulu from
Tawi-tawi to Tutup and Pagahak, reserving sovereignty rights for the
King of Spain over Tapul, Siasi, Balangingi, and Pangutaran only. In
return for the evacuation of Jolo, and as a sign of brotherhood, the
Sultan of Sulu promised to send yearly to Zamboanga three boats, 8
fathoms long, full of rice, and to allow the Jesuit priests to come to Jolo
unmolested. Otlier provisions were inserted in the treaty for the ex-
change and redemption of slaves, criminals, or others who happened to
run away from Zamboanga to Sulu and vice versa.
This treaty did not remain in force for any great length of time, for
we hear again in 1647 that the Sulus invaded the Bisayas and harassed
the vicinity of Zamboanga.
