This chapter's epigraph is from a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, "Poinsettia" . It's a poem in which the protagonist is crushed to death in a meat grinder. He's about to die when he hears the sound of a bomb going off. He realizes that the bomb is made of liquid nitrogen, which means that the protagonist can freeze to death. The protagonist is so relieved that he doesn't even notice that the enemy has been defeated. He can't believe that he's been defeated, but then he realizes that it's his fault. He blames himself for everything that's happened to the village, and he blames the protagonist for the whole thing. He tells the protagonist not to get in his way, because the village was destroyed because of the protagonist's selfishness, and now the protagonist blames him for everything. He asks the protagonist if he ever ordered the protagonist to dig up anything special, and the protagonist says he'd never do anything like that. He reminds the protagonist that he was a member of the unit that dug up the moonstones, and that the money from the operation was supposed to go towards developing the country, but instead he kept it for his own selfish desires. He says the protagonist should be ashamed of himself and his mess, because if he is found guilty, he'll be facing treason charges. He also says that he will be a witness against the protagonist, since he saved his life. He wants the protagonist and the kid to be executed, so that no one will ever know about the officer's wrongdoings. He adds that if they're found not guilty, they won't face any charges of treason. The colonel says he doesn