the arrogance of youth, and in hatred to the enemy, applied their matches, and fired a few shots.  The bullets, which were generously aimed at his feet, did not touch him, although they fell near by; nor did they cause in him any more agitation or anger than if the matter were some jest which he disregarded.  This was the courage of an enemy—­one of the dwellers in the southern part of the island; I will relate an instance of valor in a friendly native, an inhabitant of the northern region of Mindanao.  A man went out from Botuan to fish upon the sea, embarking with his wife and children in two separate boats.  On returning to land when the fishing was over, the man with his boat was somewhat farther from the shore; and the wife, with their children in her boat, made more haste to reach the land, on account of some vessels of Ternatans, which were coasting from point to point—­their enemies and ours, as I have said.  These invaders, seeing their prey alone and defenseless, were not willing to lose it; accordingly, some of them went in a little skiff, and seized the woman and the children, carrying them away captive.  The poor wretch who had been thus despoiled, reached the shore some distance behind them; and seeing that he could not overtake them, began to shout to them, standing on the beach, and was able to utter such insults to the robber—­calling him a coward, who laid his hands on women and children alone—­that he compelled the other to take up the challenge.  He added, that if he himself should be overcome, his wife and children would not be unjustly plundered from him, but fairly won as spoils by dint of a valiant arm.  The Ternatan (who was no less spirited than valiant) came to land, at this provocation, with the woman and the children.  Having placed the latter at one side, they furiously began their combat; but as the native of Botuan was not only courageous, but fought with justice on his side, that circumstance so aided him that, after some attempts, he killed his adversary with two spear-thrusts, and departed in contentment with his wife and children, whom he had gained anew.

The southern part of the island fell to the lot of Father Valerio de Ledesma and Father Manuel Martinez, who went there early in November of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six.  There not only did the demons, upon their arrival, offer them visible opposition, trying to affright and terrify them at night with horrible sights and sounds—­such as they are wont to display when God our Lord permits them—­but they found the inhabitants by no means tractable, on account of their fierce and violent natures.  But this was a sort of test to which our Lord subjected them in order that He might soon console them by the conversion of many chiefs—­especially that of one whom they had least expected to yield on account of his fierce and warlike character and the terror which he inspired throughout the region.  This conversion was most edifying, and occurred in the