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

208 MILITARY LIFE.
" "
Are you really not cold ?
" Oh, no ! A
rather
"
little
you know but not so much so that
Poor fellow, he was freezing
! He
was afraid of appearing
lacking in discipline should he tell me he was cold. Just
as if
he or I had made the snow fall right at his feet, which must
have been in a sad state.
I was so pleased with his reply, poor
fellow !
So, do not talk to me of the distance between officers
and soldiers at such moments ;
for the heart is not covered
with gilt braid like the cap. Great heavens ! how can one be
so hard and reserved unless he be made of stone ?
However,
as I did not wish it to seem as if I had gone there to play the
pitying consoler, or leave him either before I had cheered him
a trifle with a few friendly words, I said, in an indifferent manner
:
"
How much longer have you to stay here ?"
" I really don't know, Mr. Lieutenant. . . . You cannot
hear the clock near here ... on account of the music."
" Yes ;
well (at this point the ice was broken), certainly to
stand still here, at this hour and in such weather, is not a pleasure.
But, good heavens ! it is our profession.
. . . It is
all like this, and we must take things as they are. But, my
good fellow, this is nothing. If we go to war, then you
will see
something worse. That is quite another affair, you know, as
you will see when you try When it. you are on the outposts,
for instance, in a dark wood, under one of those fine drizzling
rains that go through every thing and make you thoroughly uncomfortable,
quite alone, abandoned, and not seeing a palm
before your nose, but there you must stay, firm and erect as a
reed, with a vigilant eye and strained ear, because the enemy is