He began to gather
together those dear wretched beings, and gave them alms of the little
that he had. Finally, with God's help, those natives gradually came
down from the mountains and assembled in their village, where they
began to build their houses anew. Father Fray Juan de Lecea showed
so excellent management that he soon had a habitation. I left the
upland then and went to the visita of Guimbal, where the enemy had not
been. From that place I sent Father Lecea men, and what [supplies] I
could, so that the work might progress. There by the Lord's pleasure,
the Tinguianes of that visita, who had never consented to build a
church, nor have the father visit them, at length, through the Lord's
mercy, ceased their obduracy. They built me a church, and I baptized
many of them, both children at the breast and those somewhat older,
and adults. If I have done any service to the Lord in that place,
I pray His Majesty to receive it as a partial payment for my many
acts of disservice.
On my departure from all those mountains, and my return to Otong,
I found already a church and small dwelling-house built, and another
under way, larger and more commodious, which was soon finished,
until it finally became a very handsome edifice.
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