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

1
96 MlLITAR Y LIFE.
appeared very pure as they were touched by the sun, and
stretched out slowly in the direction of the roads : those white
lines were the roads that we had taken that morning those
;
clouds of dust revealed the advance of the Italian columns.
There were a few thatched houses here and there, half hidden
among the trees, as if they
were afraid and did not" wish to see
what was taking place up there. Below, quite far down, Villafranca
was the nearest and silent spectator. On the other,
toward the enemy, there were dark spots among
the side
green of the fields, and an uncertain gleaming of bayonets,
which now advanced, now stopped, now pointing to the left or
right, almost as if uncertain toward which point they should
move and proceed circumspectly. Nearer us, on the same
plain, were four or five Austrian cannon which were roaring
slowly and continuously. On the opposite side, directly at the
foot of our hill, as many of our cannon were firing
like the first
but more slowly. Behind us on the slope of the neighboring
hill, we could see a dense white smoke, and hear a quick firing
of muskets ;
it was the extreme flank of another division. We
saw nothing more, or, at least, I do not remember any thing
further. We stood waiting there, contemplating that marvellous
spectacle.
" In the time of great excitement, when some strong emotion
moves us, the mind often, almost unconscious of what is
passing
in the soul, becomes abstracted little
by little, and wanders
and abandons itself to the strangest and most childish thoughts
and fancies, as if that passing
hour were one of the most idle
and quiet of our daily life. Thus, perceiving a distant
bell-tower, I thought : 'It is Sunday. The people there this
morning, in holiday dress, have gone out joyfully
into the