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

382 MILITARY LIFE.
road of civilization than we are in the habit of supposing, that
the way lying before is much longer than it seemed at first, and
that we must strike out more seriously and boldly. It would
be difficult indeed to prove
that on similar occasions in times
less civilized than ours, the folly of the common people was
carried further, or produced more terrible effects, and that, in
the generality of people, to-day more than then, in the presence
of misfortunes and common peril reason has conquered instinct,
charity selfishness, and duty fear.
But what did the army do ?
The disorder of the administrations, the confusion, and general
fear had inspired audacity in the highwaymen and bandits,
and given them an opportunity to spring up again ;
so that
both scoured the country and cities, committing every kind
of depredations and violence. The
troops, who could not give
up their chase of them, no matter how indispensable their assistance
might be elsewhere, found themselves surrounded by
a thousand different duties, some more dangerous and fatiguing
than others. The numerical force of the corps, which was
small in comparison with the needs of ordinary times, proved
quite insufficient for the service of the hospitals, sanitary
cordons, and public security, at the same time.
All these services
were performed, however, by dividing the forces as
much as possible ;
so that it
happened almost everywhere that
the soldiers never slept two successive nights in the same barracks,
and no longer ate at prescribed hours, but just as it
happened,
when, where, and as they could. There was continual
motion, continual fatigue. Just during those days when repose,
quiet, and every kind of precaution was really most
necessary,
it is .impossible
to tell how much the health of the
;