Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

140 MILITARY LIFE.
for his sufferings, and then resumes his way
with a free and
hurried gait. After a hundred more paces, the same thing
occurs again. He dashes into a person who is
walking in front
of him, wakes, looks " "
Oh : ! excuse me, captain." Don't
mention it, pray These are ! things that happen to all."
A companion comes close to you. You walk for a short
time, without being conscious of it,
side by side. Then : " Are
you there ? " A grunt
is
your reply. "Are you sleepy
?
"
"A
little. Give me your arm." The arm is given. Shoulder to
shoulder, hip to hip, and forward you go as best you can,
staggering and stumbling. Eight, ten, twenty paces, sleep
seizes you both, and your heavy heads fall on the same side
" "
and come into contact with each other. Ahi ! Then you
separate.
All round about is quiet ;
the pitch darkness continues, the
two long lines of light keep waving along the sides of the road,
and there is
always the same monotonous clinking of the canteens.
Suddenly, an irritable voice bursts out in the middle of the
" "
line : Up with that light there ! and the soldier who is carrying
the lantern, and who, overcome by sleep, had slackened
his arm and let the musket fall on the head of the man behind
him, wakes, draws up his arm, and raises the light.
A few steps more, and a long and sonorous yawn, like the
Two or three voices try to
braying of an ass, breaks the silence.
imitate it ;
there is a laugh, and all are silent.
A few steps more, and a shrill voice attempts a song. An
outburst of protests and disapprobation rises from the lines.
" "
Leave
" that alone ! At another moment : Sleep in peace."
And the unfortunately inspired singer drives back into his throat
the rest of the song, and is silent.