Last night we were awakened at about 12:30 a.m. by the arrival of Dolly and Estrella’s children. They had to leave Estrella’s house by the road in a hurry. A soldier had come to notify them that the Japanese had broken through the Army lines in Barotac and two large ships have been sighted off the coast of Banate (a nearby seaside village). There was a fight at the Barotac bridge, but the casualties were not heavy on either side as they both retreated. The people in the town of Barotac left in a panic and many escaped during the night. Estrella remained behind, but will follow soon.
A short time ago from our hilltop hideout we saw two Japanese warships sailing along the coastline, but so far we have not heard any shelling.