Much of this cloth was wet, because, as I
said above, their vessels [the "Leon Rojo" and the "Fregelingas"]
and that of the Chinese had been shipwrecked. As this was the rainy
season, it was impossible to dry it; and thus, to their great sorrow,
much was lost. They secretly sold everything that they could before
there should come from the court any order that might be to their
disadvantage. They made a large sum of money, and then in all haste
they loaded a great number of the boxes of silk upon the "Leon Negro,"
which they put in readiness for whatever might happen. They then
despatched their messengers to Macao [_sc_. Meaco], the court of the
emperor, to whom they presented four fine pieces of bronze artillery,
which he prized very highly. They sent also thirty thousand taes
of silver, each one equal in weight to ten Spanish reals, and many
pieces of various kinds of silk, with which they gained the good
will of the emperor and of the courtiers upon whom their prosperity
and security in Japon depended. As a result of this, they were soon
very successful in their negotiations, at which they were greatly
pleased; for they were given permission to sell their spoils in the
kingdom of Japon to whom and wherever they pleased, since they said
that the Spaniards were their enemies and that the Chinese were going
to trade with them [the Spaniards]. With the matter thus arranged,
they returned to Firando, and, as they found themselves in such favor,
the first thing that they did was to take back from the poor Chinese
the hulk of the ship and some cloth of little value, which they had
given them because they had feared that they might not be successful
at court.
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