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

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98 M1LITAR Y LIFE.
you discovered a black speck, or a little white cloud of smoke,
and the blast of a horn reached your ear, dear reader, what
would you have felt in your heart ? Just what we felt, fixing
our eyes on those most desired towers . . .
shouting that
dear name. . . .
" All four battalions of the regiment were up
there. Suddenly
a loud shout is heard, all the soldiers spring
feet, the officers give the order : '
To your place
!
'
to their
the companies
reform, and all are silent. Another shout, and the
officers repeat :
'
Bayonets fixed '
and all four battalions fix
!
their bayonets, then another period of silence follows. '
What
is it? What has happened ? ' all ask. The colonel's adjutant
arrives on horseback, approaches our major, and whispers
in his ear.
'
Forward !
'
shouts the major. The battalion
moves, passes the summit of the mountain, and descends the
slope on the enemy's side.
All those behind, and I among the
number, stretch out their necks, and put out their heads to
the right and left to see where we are going ;
but we cannot
see any thing, as the first company impedes our view. I turn
back and see the other battalions following us slowly
in the
distance. At a certain point, when the last company has
reached a slight elevation of ground, I catch a glimpse in the
distance, among the trees, a movement, a gleaming
. . .
" At the same instant I hear a terrible explosion, and sharp
whistles on the right and left, at my feet, above my head, an
agonizing cry a few steps
from me, and in the distance a great
cloud of white smoke, then a powerful shout :
Charge with
'
the bayonets." The disordered battalion dashes forward on
quick step. Another cry
:
Savoy ! The battalion breaks
'
'
out into a loud shout and starts on a run ; nothing but smoke