A seventh Japanese convoy to Leyte bit the dust, er ... mud. A big transport and three smaller troop transports were sunk, while the remaining two ships, a medium transport and an escort destroyer, were left ablaze. MacArthur estimated that a total of 26,000 Japanese troops have perished trying to get into Leyte.

A four-alarm fire just after 1900 gave us all quite a thrill. "Don't worry," I said too quickly during supper, "it's just the fire engine here." Five minutes later, Ma called me to the rear to have a look. The Santa Mesa Cine, an ancient wooden landmark adjacent to Figueras' house on Buenos Aires bordering Santa Mesa Avenue, was on fire. And what a fire it was! All Santa Mesa and Manga Avenue turned out to watch it blaze. The Japanese have been stocking it with supplies ever since they occupied it a month ago.

Fire engines arrived as battalions of troops ran with buckets or long wooden poles. High-ranking Japanese officers stormed down toward the fire in long determined strides, looking angry and no doubt thinking sabotage. And all around people gathered to watch the conflagration. As I dashed towards Santa Mesa Extension for a better view, a friend caught up with me. "Too bad the wind is going that-a-way. It would surely get Figueras' house if it was the opposite direction," he said panting. What poetic justice that would be for the man who has given the Japanese house after house to occupy, and given ours away twice!