war and the future-第6章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


were　not　those　architectural　triumphs；　those　homes　from　home；
that　grow　to　perfection　upon　the　less　active　sections　of　the
great　line。　　They　had　been　first　made　by　men　who　had　run　rapidly
forward　with　spade　and　rifle；　stooping　as　they　ran；　who　had
dropped　into　the　craters　of　big　shells；　who　had　organised　these
chiefly　at　night　and　dug　the　steep　ditches　sideways　to　join　up
into　continuous　trenches。　　Now　they　were　pushing　forward　saps
into　No　Man's　Land；　linking　them　across；　and　so　continually
creeping　nearer　to　the　enemy　and　a　practicable　jumping…off　place
for　an　attack。　　（It　has　been　made　since；　the　village　at　which　I
peeped　was　in　our　hands　a　week　later。）　These　trenches　were　dug
into　a　sort　of　yellowish　sandy　clay；　the　dug…outs　were　mere　holes
in　the　earth　that　fell　in　upon　the　clumsy；　hardly　any　timber　had
been　got　up　the　line；　a　storm　might　flood　them　at　any　time　a
couple　of　feet　deep　and　begin　to　wash　the　sides。　　Overnight　they
had　been　〃strafed〃　and　there　had　been　a　number　of　casualties；
there　were　smashed　rifles　about　and　a　smashed…up　machine　gun
emplacement；　and　the　men　were　dog…tired　and　many　of　them　sleeping
like　logs；　half　buried　in　…clay。　　Some　slept　on　the　firing　steps。
As　one　went　along　one　became　aware　ever　and　again　of　two　or　three
pairs　of　clay…yellow　feet　sticking　out　of　a　clay　hole；　and
peering　down　one　saw　the　shapes　of　men　like　rudely　modelled
earthen　images　of　soldiers；　motionless　in　the　cave。

I　came　round　the　corner　upon　a　youngster　with　an　intelligent　face
and　steady　eyes　sitting　up　on　the　firing　step；　awake　and
thinking。　　We　looked　at　one　another。　　There　are　moments　when　mind
leaps　to　mind。　　It　is　natural　for　the　man　in　the　trenches
suddenly　confronted　by　so　rare　a　beast　as　a　middle…aged　civilian
with　an　enquiring　expression；　to　feel　oneself　something　of　a
spectacle　and　something　generalised。　　It　is　natural　for　the
civilian　to　look　rather　in　the　vein　of　saying；　〃Well；　how　do　you
take　it？〃　　As　I　pushed　past　him　we　nodded　slightly　with　an　effect
of　mutual　understanding。　　And　we　said　with　our　nods　just　exactly
what　General　Joffre　had　said　with　his　horizontal　gestures　of　the
hand　and　what　the　King　of　Italy　conveyed　by　his　friendly　manner；
we　said　to　each　other　that　here　was　the　trouble　those　Germans　had
brought　upon　us　and　here　was　the　task　that　had　to　be　done。

Our　guide　to　these　trenches　was　a　short；　stocky　young　man；　a　cob；
with　a　rifle　and　a　tight　belt　and　projecting　skirts　and　a　helmet；
a　queer　little　figure　that；　had　you　seen　it　in　a　picture　a　year
or　so　before　the　war；　you　would　most　certainly　have　pronounced
Chinese。　　He　belonged　to　a　Northumbrian　battalion；　it　does　not
matter　exactly　which。　　As　we　returned　from　this　front　line；
trudging　along　the　winding　path　through　the　barbed　wire　tangles
before　the　smashed　and　captured　German　trench　that　had　been　taken
a　fortnight　before；　I　fell　behind　my　guardian　captain　and　had　a
brief　conversation　wit　this　individual。　　He　was　a　lad　in　the
early　twenties；　weather…bit　and　with　bloodshot　eyes。　　He　was；　he
told　me；　a　miner。　　I　asked　my　stock　question　in　such　cases；
whether　he　would　go　back　to　the　old　work　after　the　war。　　He　said
he　would；　and　then　addedwith　the　events　of　overnight　on　his
mind：　〃If　A'hm　looky。〃

Followed　a　little　silence。　　Then　I　tried　my　second　stock　remark
for　such　cases。　　One　does　not　talk　to　soldiers　at　the　front　in
this　war　of　Glory　or　the　〃Empire　on　which　the　sun　never　sets〃　or
〃the　meteor　flag　of　England〃　or　of　King　and　Country　or　any　of
those　fine　old　headline　things。　　On　the　desolate　path　that　winds
about　amidst　the　shell　craters　and　the　fragments　and　the　red…
rusted　wire；　with　the　silken　shiver　of　passing　shells　in　the　air
and　the　blue　of　the　lower　sky　continually　breaking　out　into
eddying　white　puffs；　it　is　wonderful　how　tawdry　such　panoplies　of
the　effigy　appear。　　We　knew　that　we　and　our　allies　are　upon　a
greater；　graver；　more　fundamental　business　than　that　sort　of
thing　now。　　We　are　very　near　the　waking　point。

〃Well；〃　I　said；　〃it's　got　to　be　done。〃

〃Aye；〃　he　said；　easing　the　strap　of　his　rifle　a　little；　〃it's　got
to　be　done。〃



THE　WAR　IN　ITALY　（AUGUST；　1916）


I。　THE　ISONZO　FRONT


1

My　first　impressions　of　the　Italian　war　centre　upon　Udine。　　So
far　I　had　had　only　a　visit　to　Soissons　on　an　exceptionally　quiet
day　and　the　sound　of　a　Zeppelin　one　night　in　Essex　for　all　my
experience　of　actual　warfare。　　But　my　bedroom　at　the　British
mission　in　Udine　roused　perhaps　extravagant　expectations。　　There
were　holes　in　the　plaster　ceiling　and　wall；　betraying　splintered
laths；　holes；　that　had　been　caused　by　a　bomb　that　had　burst　and
killed　several　people　in　the　little　square　outside。　　Such
excitements　seem　to　be　things　of　the　past　now　in　Udine。　　Udine
keeps　itself　dark　nowadays；　and　the　Austrian　sea…planes；　which
come　raiding　the　Italian　coast　country　at　night　very　much　in　the
same　aimless；　casually　malignant　way　in　which　the　Zeppelins　raid
England；　apparently　because　there　is　nothing　else　for　them　to　do；
find　it　easier　to　locate　Venice。

My　earlier　rides　in　Venetia　began　always　with　the　level　roads　of
the　plain；　roads　frequently　edged　by　watercourses；　with　plentiful
willows　beside　the　road；　vines　and　fields　of　Indian　corn　and
suchlike　lush　crops。　　Always　quite　soon　one　came　to　some　old
Austrian　boundary　posts；　almost　everywhere　the　Italians　are
fighting　upon　what　is　technically　enemy　territory；　but　nowhere
does　it　seem　a　whit　less　Italian　than　the　plain　of　Lombardy。
When　at　last　I　motored　away　from　Udine　to　the　northern　mountain
front　I　passed　through　Campo…Formio　and　saw　the　white…faced　inn
at　which　Napoleon　dismembered　the　ancient　republic　of　Venice　and
bartered　away　this　essential　part　of　Italy　into　foreign　control。
It　just　gravitates　back　nowas　though　there　had　been　no
Napoleon。

And　upon　the　roads　and　beside　them　was　the　enormous　equipment　of
a　modern　army　advancing。　　Everywhere　I　saw　new　roads　being　made；
railways　pushed　up；　vast　store　dumps；　hospitals；　everywhere　the
villages　swarmed　with　grey　soldiers；　everywhere　our　automobile
was　threading　its　way　and　taking　astonishing　risks　among
interminable　processions　of　motor　lorries；　strings　of　ambulances
or　of　mule　carts；　waggons　with　timber；　waggons　with　wire；　waggons
with　men's　gear；　waggons　with　casks；　waggons　discreetly　veiled；
columns　of　infantry；　cavalry；　batteries　/en　route。/　　Every
waggon　that　goes　up　full　comes　back　empty；　and　many　wounded　were
coming　down　and　prisoners　and　troops　returning　to　rest。　　Goritzia
had　been　taken　a　week　or　so　before　my　arrival；　the　Isonzo　had
been　crossed　and　the　Austrians　driven　back　across　the　Carso　for
several　miles；　all　the　resources　of　Italy　seemed　to　be　crowding
up　to　make　good　these　gains　and　gather　strength　for　the　next
thrust。　　The　roads　under　all　this　traffic　remained　wonderful；
gangs　of　men　were　everywhere　repairing　the　first　onset　of　wear；
and　Italy　is　the　most　fortunate　land　in　the　world　for　road　metal；
her　mountains　are　solid　road　metal；　and　in　this　Venetian　plain
you　need　but　to　scrape　through　a　yard　of　soil　to　find　gravel。

One　travelled　through　a　choking　dust　under　the　blue　sky；　and
above　the　steady　incessant　dusty　succession　of　lorry；　lorry；
lorry；　lorry　that　passed　one　by；　one　saw；　looking　up；　the　tree
tops；　house　roofs；　or　the　solid　Venetian　campanile　of　this　or
that　wayside　village。　　Once　as　we　were　coming　out　of　the　great
grey　portals　of　that　beautiful　old　relic　of　a　former　school　of
fortification；　Palmanova；　the　traffic　became　suddenly　bright
yellow；　and　for　a　kilometre　or　so　we　were　passing　nothing　but
Sicilian　mule　carts　loaded　with　hay。　　These　carts　seem　as　strange
among　the　grey　shapes　of　modern　war　transport　as　a　Chinese
mandarin　in　painted　silk　would　be。　　They　are　the　most　individual
of　things；　all　two…wheeled；　all　bright　yellow　and　the　same　size
it　is　true；　but　upon　each　there　are　they　gayest　of　little
paintings；　such　paintings　as　one　sees　in　England　at　times　upon　an
ice…cream　barrow。　　Sometimes　the　picture　will　present　a
scriptural　subject；　sometimes　a　scene　of　opera；　sometimes　a　dream
landscape　or　a　trophy　of　fruits　or　flowers；　and　the　harnessnow
much　out　of　repairis　studded　with　br