[Y es] su santissima reverencia le es notorio todo lo sucedido por el santísimo niño como persona que a tantos años está en esta ciudad. Lo que yo he alcanzado de saber en el tiempo que estoy en ella diré=
Lo primero que los naturales de Cebu lo llamaron bahahala que quiere decir el "gran señor" no "diguata" porque es supersticioso.
Lo segundo que el principal que lo tenía era su casa donde está ahora la iglesia mayor y cuando tenía necesidad de agua para las sementeras enviaba el padre de Dona Maria la de Mandaui que llamaron Legazpi porque fue su padrino el adelantado Miguel López de Legazpi cuando se bautizó. Este tenía la casa en [medio] de Cebu que yo la alcance bien grande aquien respetaban y le ponían un altar adorada de las mejores mantas que usaban que eran caianpata y muchas campanas y en llegando la cajita donde estaba el santísimo niño le sacaban y ponían en el lugar atado y había gran fiesta y bailes y luego le tomaban y en un plato antiguo que llaman losdac le ponían de pies y lo empezaban a bañar diciendo "balagala danos agua" y luego le enjugaban y le volvían a su altar y jamás por jamás dejó de llover que se rasgaban los cielos luego la noche siguiente. Y con esta fee todas las veces que tenían necesidad de agua usaban lo propio y le volvían luego a casa del principal dicho. Este plato le tiene Doña Maria y le estima la india grandemente y se le han querido comprar para tener la con el santísimo niño y no le ha querido vender diciendo que cuando se muera se lo dejará=
Lo tercero que corrió voz y nueva de que el Burney venía sobre ellos y temerosos se fueron a los tingues y a otras partes. Y el principal que tenía al santísimo niño tambíen se fue a poner encobro y dejó la cajita a un esclavo suyo casado que la [guardasen] porque estaba allí toda su hacienda sin saber los esclavos que quedaba en ella ni jamás lo habían visto. Y después de ido el amo dijo el marido a la muger: "Nuestro amo nos ha dejado aquí por carnada de anzuelo para que los enemigos nos matan o cautiven. Vámonos a esconder al manglar." Y queriendo echarse la cajita al hombro no la pudo mover. Llamó a su mujer que le ayudase y tampoco la pudieron mover de manera que con esto creyeron ser verdad que allí quedaba toda la hacienda del amo. Y así se dejaron estar a seguro la nueva. Y luego fue volviendo la gente al pueblo y dentro de poco tuvieron falta de agua y enviaron por el santísimo niño a un [muchacho] y viendo el dicho esclavo con la facilidad que el [muchacho] se había echado al hombro la cajita quedó admirado. Que sin decir nada fue tras el y estuvo aguardando a que le abrieran y cómo vido sacar al santísimo niño llegó a ver lo que la cajita tenía y no
[And it is] well known to his most reverend excellency everything that has happened regarding the most holy child, as someone who has lived in this city for so many years. What I have come to know during the time I have been here, I will now recount:
First, the natives of Cebu called him bahahala, which means "the Great Lord," not diguata, as it is superstitious.
Secondly, the leader who possessed it kept it in his house, which is now the location of the main church and when water was needed for the fields, they would call upon the father of Doña María of Mandaui, who was called Legazpi because the adelantado Miguel López de Legazpi was his godfather when he was baptised. He had his house in [the center] of Cebu, which I knew to be very large. They respected him and they set him up an altar adorned with the finest cloths they had, known as caianpata, and with many bells. When the small box containing the Most Holy Child arrived, they would take Him out and place Him in a designated spot, tying Him down, and there would be great celebrations and dances. Then they would take Him, place Him standing on an old plate called losdac, and begin to bathe Him, saying, "balagala, give us water" and afterwards, they would dry Him and return Him to His altar, and on the night after, it would absolutely never stop raining as if the skies were being torn open. And with this faith, they repeated the ritual every time they needed water, and then they would return Him to the house of the said leader. Doña María still has this plate, and this native [woman] values it dearly. Many have tried to buy it from her to keep it alongside the most Holy Child, but she has refused to sell it, saying that she will leave it behind when she dies.=
Thirdly, it was rumored that the Burney was coming for them and out of fear the people fled to the mountains and other places. And the leader who kept the most Holy Child also went into hiding, leaving the small box in the care of a married slave couple for keeping, as all his possessions were stored there without the knowledge of the slaves who were staying there nor did they ever see it. After the master had left, the husband said to his wife: "Our master has left us here as bait for the hook so that the enemies can kill or capture us. Let’s go and hide in the mangroves." But when he tried to lift the small box onto his shoulder, he could not move it. He called his wife to help him, but they still could not lift it and on account of that, they believed it must have indeed contained all their master’s possessions. So they decided to stay put and wait for [news].
Later on, people began returning to the village and before long, they found themselves in need of water, and a young boy was sent to retrieve the most Holy Child. When the slave saw how easily the boy lifted the small box onto his shoulder, he was astonished. Without saying anything, he followed the boy and waited for him to open the box. When he saw the most Holy Child being taken out, he came closer to see what was inside the box and not
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