They came from the governor, Alonso de Ribera, conveyed by his secretary, Captain Miguel de Erauso. Troops were scarce in Chile at the time, and our arrival was welcome, and we received immediate orders to disembark.
With the blue woollen bodice I had I made a pair of breeches, and with the green petticoat I wore underneath, a doublet and hose-my nun’s habit was useless and I threw it away, I cut my hair and threw it away, and on the third night, wanting to get as far from that place as I possibly could, I set off without knowing where I was going, threading my way down roads and passing villages, until I came to the town of Vitoria, some twenty leagues from San Sebastian, on foot, tired, and having eaten nothing more than the herbs I had found growing by the roadside.Īfter twenty days at sea, we came to the port of Concepción, a decent-sized town that goes by the nickname the noble and the loyal, and has its own bishop. There, I holed up for three days, planning and re-planning and cutting myself out a suit of clothes.
I struck out, in what direction I cannot say, and came upon a chestnut grove just beyond the walls, on the outskirts of the convent grounds. I went opening doors and closing them carefully behind me, and when I came to the last one I shook off my veil and went out into a street I had never seen, without any idea which way to turn, or where I might be going. I took a pair of scissors and a needle and thread, I took some of the pieces of eight that were lying there, and the keys to the convent, and I left. She touched her hand to my forehead and said, “Go on, go to bed.” I left the choir, took up a lamp and returned to my aunt’s cell. The nuns were singing the psalms in a mournful tone, and when they got to the first lesson I went to my aunt and asked to be excused, telling her I was sick.
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