The General in His Labyrinth

The Governor of Honda welcomes the General and his men and organizes "three days of bands and fireworks" for them (69). Rain delays these celebrations and, by the time they begin, the General has come down with another fever. He receives a letter in which Sucre apologizes for missing the General's departure and hears the news that Manuela is not allowed to write to him. The ongoing celebrations vex José as he continues to watch the General's condition worsen. While visiting silver mines, the General swims in a river, revealing his visibly "scrawny ribs and rachitic legs" (74). On the final night in Honda, the town holds a great ball, but the General does not attend. He listens to the music with José, remembering how the same song played during a military victory in 1826. Eventually, the General leaps from his hammock and insists on attending the ball. He dances for hours, despite his exhaustion.

That night, the General returns to his room and finds an Englishwoman named Miranda Lyndsay waiting for him. Many years before, she feigned romantic interest in him to save him from an assassination attempt. Now, she has come to him to ask for a favor.