And now to make this attempt would give the Chinese opportunity to make daily jests of the Spaniards.

Therefore they should wait until God should open the door for this entrance, at such time as His holy will should determine, which could not be much delayed.

The father custodian having received the governor's reply, and seeing that he persevered in his obstinacy in not seeking means whereby they could effect their desired entrance upon the mainland, commenced secret negotiations, with the object of procuring, by all available means, some way of making the journey--even without the said governor's order, if no other way were possible.

They set about this at once, for the father custodian and father Fray Estevan Ortiz Ortiz--religious, who with this intention had learned the Chinese language, and could now speak it reasonably well--communicated their desires to a soldier, very devout in his worship, and especially well inclined toward them, namely, Juan Diaz Pardo.

This man had several times manifested and declared to them his great desire to perform some service for God, even at the risk of his life.