Admiral Pedro de Heredia, commander of the galley "San Juan Baptista,"
grappled with the hostile almiranta; and after fighting valorously,
and having almost defeated it, because it was no longer serving its
artillery or musketry, the burning boat charged down upon the two
galleons and forced them to ungrapple for fear of the fire. Thereupon
their almiranta got away with some difficulty, because it had so
few men left to handle the sails. The men who escaped from the small
boat of the burning ship were taken aboard that vessel, so that they
had sufficient men to retreat; and our galleon could not return to
attack the said almiranta, which left so badly dismantled that it is
thought that it must have sunk. The facts will be learned with the
first advice that comes from Terrenate.
General Francisco Bravo de la Serna, who came aboard the flagship that
put in at Japon, gained the good will of the ruler where he put in,
by his diligence, discretion, and sensible procedure, aided by the
munificent presents that he gave to the king. Consequently the king
received him as hospitably as if he were in your Majesty's lands,
giving him whatever he needed at moderate prices. When the general
wished to leave, the king gave him permission, without his having
received any ill treatment. That was considered a good outcome,
and was all the more so because, when he reached these islands and
learned that the enemy had taken the passage in order to enter the
port of Cavite, he took the flagship to the most hidden place that
he could find.
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