Chapter 10 Summary

The final chapter of Captain Pantoja and the Special Service opens with Mother Leonor remembering a nightmare from the previous evening: "A cockroach is eaten by a rat who is eaten by a lizard who is eaten by a jaguar who is crucified and whose remains are devoured by cockroaches" (p. 218). Captain Pantoja puts on his uniform, telling his mother that the charade is over with now and that everyone in Iquitos knows that he is in the Army. Pantoja is scheduled to meet with General Scavino this morning. Mother Leonor voices her shame at Panta's having delivered the Brazilian's eulogy. Pantoja explains to Bacacorzo that he is the one to be held responsible for the events surrounding the scandal of the Special Service. Bacacorzo tells Pantoja about a rumor circulating that he and Pantoja were lovers.

Scavino reprimands Captain Pantoja severely for...