Christmas has set in in town. It started with a big party at BP's batch on Saturday night and would appear to have been going more or less over since then. Tuesday Dec. 25: Had a drink with the Cottrell-Dormers in the morning; Christmas dinner with Ken and Mildred Lee: spent the afternoon in the house of Fred and Joyce Craig. Had a very pleasant time but was glad to break away and go home at seven O'clock. Rus went over to the Catholic Mission at Sedela yesterday afternoon and returned to Samarai sometime this afternoon. For two or three afternoons rain has fallen on the mainland, just across Fhina Strait from Samarai, but not more than a few drops here on the island. I have never seen Samarai so dry. The ground is parched, the streets dusty, the grass the color of straw. The water shortage is becoming serious. For a week now BPa have been bringing water on boats for their native compound. Wednesday Dec. 26: Boxing Day, and a holiday. The drought continues. Did some paper work: making up boys' wages accounts, sorting records and correspondence, etc. A native swimming off the reef with a fishing spear, was taken by a shark today. The third fatality of the kind in the neighborhood in little more than a week. One man was taken at Kwato, the other at Susu.