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

388 MILITARY LIFE.
if
all these reasons should not be sufficient to convince the incredulous,
or should the colors of the picture which I place
before my readers' eyes appear too vivid or too fanciful, there
would always be in confirmation of what I have asserted, the
unanimous testimony of the populations, or that, not valid for
all, but quite certain and sacred for me, of my many companions
in arms and the friends who saw and narrated what the
soldiers did or how they did it, with their hearts filled with
gratitude and pride. From the light of their eyes and the
sound of their voices I attained the deep conviction which
moves my heart and pen.
Generally the companies were only united at evening, in
the
dormitory, at the hour of retreat. While waiting the signal of
the drum for the roll-call, the soldiers related to one another
what they had seen and done during the day some of them
;
seated on their beds, others leaning against the windows, the
remainder in groups
in the middle of the dormitories. There
were none of those movements, songs, laughs, or deafening
shouts of joy, which in ordinary times are so pleasant
in the
barracks at evening. Most of the soldiers were motionless,
and nothing was to be heard but a subdued whispering, interrupted
here and there by some exclamation of surprise,
anger, or pity, and long intervals of silence, in which you
would have said that all were sleeping. The soldiers who
gradually arrived went quietly to their beds, and laying down
their fatigue caps and belts, joined the different groups, each
one quoting the last rumor in the district, which was always
one of misfortune. Any one not knowing it otherwise, would
have been able to understand what was being thought and said