El Fili Chapter 18: Deceptions

Mr. Leeds meets the group of twelve, and allows them to inspect the tent and equipment used to display the Sphinx. He makes fun of the skeptical Ben Zayb, because Ben Zayb was unable to find the hidden mirrors. Mr. Leeds brings the ashes to life by shouting “Deremof!”, which is probably an anagram of the word…
Freedom.
(Rizal is so Pinoy if he indeed made use of this form of wordplay.)
Imuthis, the Sphinx, comes to life and narrates his lifestory. His life is similar to that of Ibarra:

• Both studied abroad.
• Both got into trouble with the religious orders.
• Both had a foe who was a priest, who was in love with their girlfriend.
• Both had a girlfriend who was the daughter of a priest.
• Both “died” in a lake.
• Both their girlfriends were raped in a temple/convent by their enemy priest.
• Both returned to their country to seek revenge/justice.
• Both returned under a different identity: Imuthis became “The Sphinx” while Ibarra became “Simoun”.

Padre Salvi quickly saw the parallelism. He felt alluded to when the sphinx called him a murderer. Perhaps it was Simoun’s voice?
What does Cambyses in the story of the Sphinx symbolize? It represents their failed government. To cover this fact up, both governments went after them.
How was the Sphinx set-up? Simoun is a good friend of Mr. Leeds. In the previous chapter, you’ll note that Simoun was nowhere to be found in the Quiapo fair. He probably slipped away early enough to set-up the tent, so that he can give Padre Salvi the scare of his life. Imagine, an old enemy of 13 years ago has come to life.
How was the image of the Sphinx produced? The mirrors were hidden in the legs of the table which supported the Sphinx. Perhaps Rizal was already thinking of holograms way back then?
Where did Mr. Leeds go after the show? He went straight to Hong Kong, just in case Padre Salvi decided to do something to Mr. Leeds.
Something tells me things are going to heat up around here…