永别了,武器(英文版)海明威著-第32部分

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he　Austrians　had　been　fortifying　it　for　years。〃　I　meant　tactically　speaking　in　a　war　where　there　was　some　movement　a　succession　of　mountains　were　nothing　to　hold　as　a　line　because　it　was　too　easy　to　turn　them。　You　should　have　possible　mobility　and　a　mountain　is　not　very　mobile。　Also；　people　always　over…shoot　downhill。　If　the　flank　were　turned；　the　best　men　would　be　left　on　the　highest　mountains。　I　did　not　believe　in　a　war　in　mountains。　I　had　thought　about　it　a　lot；　I　said。　You　pinched　off　one　mountain　and　they　pinched　off　another　but　when　something　really　started　every　one　had　to　get　down　off　the　mountains。
What　were　you　going　to　do　if　you　had　a　mountain　frontier？　he　asked。
I　had　not　worked　that　out　yet；　I　said；　and　we　both　laughed。　〃But；〃　I　said；　〃in　the　old　days　the　Austrians　were　always　whipped　in　the　quadrilateral　around　Verona。　They　let　them　e　down　onto　the　plain　and　whipped　them　there。〃
〃Yes；〃　said　Gino。　〃But　those　were　Frenchmen　and　you　can　work　out　military　problems　clearly　when　you　are　fighting　in　somebody　else's　country。〃
〃Yes；〃　I　agreed；　〃when　it　is　your　own　country　you　cannot　use　it　so　scientifically。〃
〃The　Russians　did；　to　trap　Napoleon。〃
〃Yes；　but　they　had　plenty　of　country。　If　you　tried　to　retreat　to　trap　Napoleon　in　Italy　you　would　find　yourself　in　Brindisi。〃
〃A　terrible　place；〃　said　Gino。　〃Have　you　ever　been　there？〃
〃Not　to　stay。〃
〃I　am　a　patriot；〃　Gino　said。　〃But　I　cannot　love　Brindisi　or　Taranto。〃
〃Do　you　love　the　Bainsizza？〃　I　asked。
〃The　soil　is　sacred；〃　he　said。　〃But　I　wish　it　grew　more　potatoes。　You　know　when　we　came　here　we　found　fields　of　potatoes　the　Austrians　had　planted。〃
〃Has　the　food　really　been　short？〃
〃I　myself　have　never　had　enough　to　eat　but　I　am　a　big　eater　and　I　have　not　starved。　The　mess　is　average。　The　regiments　in　the　line　get　pretty　good　food　but　those　in　support　don't　get　so　much。　Something　is　wrong　somewhere。　There　should　be　plenty　of　food。〃
〃The　dogfish　are　selling　it　somewhere　else。〃
〃Yes；　they　give　the　battalions　in　the　front　line　as　much　as　they　can　but　the　ones　in　back　are　very　short。　They　have　eaten　all　the　Austrians'　potatoes　and　chestnuts　from　the　woods。　They　ought　to　feed　them　better。　We　are　big　eaters。　I　am　sure　there　is　plenty　of　food。　It　is　very　bad　for　the　soldiers　to　be　short　of　food。　Have　you　ever　noticed　the　difference　it　makes　in　the　way　you　think？〃
〃Yes；〃　I　said。　〃It　can't　win　a　war　but　it　can　lose　one。〃
〃We　won't　talk　about　losing。　There　is　enough　talk　about　losing。　What　has　been　done　this　summer　cannot　have　been　done　in　vain。〃
I　did　not　say　anything。　I　was　always　embarrassed　by　the　words　sacred；　glorious；　and　sacrifice　and　the　expression　in　vain。　We　had　heard　them；　sometimes　standing　in　the　rain　almost　out　of　earshot；　so　that　only　the　shouted　words　came　through；　and　had　read　them；　on　proclamations　that　were　slapped　up　by　billposters　over　other　proclamations；　now　for　a　long　time；　and　I　had　seen　nothing　sacred；　and　the　things　that　were　glorious　had　no　glory　and　the　sacrifices　were　like　the　stockyards　at　Chicago　if　nothing　was　done　with　the　meat　except　to　bury　it。　There　were　many　words　that　you　could　not　stand　to　hear　and　finally　only　the　names　of　places　had　dignity。　Certain　numbers　were　the　same　way　and　certain　dates　and　these　with　the　names　of　the　places　were　all　you　could　say　and　have　them　mean　anything。　Abstract　words　such　as　glory；　honor；　courage；　or　hallow　were　obscene　beside　the　concrete　names　of　villages；　the　numbers　of　roads；　the　names　of　rivers；　the　numbers　of　regiments　and　the　dates。　Gino　was　a　patriot；　so　he　said　things　that　separated　us　sometimes；　but　he　was　also　a　fine　boy　and　I　understood　his　being　a　patriot。　He　was　born　one。　He　left　with　Peduzzi　in　the　car　to　go　back　to　Gorizia。
It　stormed　all　that　day。　The　wind　drove　down　the　rain　and　everywhere　there　was　standing　water　and　mud。　The　plaster　of　the　broken　houses　was　gray　and　wet。　Late　in　the　afternoon　the　rain　stopped　and　from　out　number　two　post　I　saw　the　bare　wet　autumn　country　with　clouds　over　the　tops　of　the　hills　and　the　straw　screening　over　the　roads　wet　and　dripping。　The　sun　came　out　once　before　it　went　down　and　shone　on　the　bare　woods　beyond　the　ridge。　There　were　many　Austrian　guns　in　the　woods　on　that　ridge　but　only　a　few　fired。　I　watched　the　sudden　round　puffs　of　shrapnel　smoke　in　the　sky　above　a　broken　farmhouse　near　where　the　line　was；　soft　puffs　with　a　yellow　white　flash　in　the　centre。　You　saw　the　flash；　then　heard　the　crack；　then　saw　the　smoke　ball　distort　and　thin　in　the　wind。　There　were　many　iron　shrapnel　balls　in　the　rubble　of　the　houses　and　on　the　road　beside　the　broken　house　where　the　post　was；　but　they　did　not　shell　near　the　post　that　afternoon。　We　loaded　two　cars　and　drove　down　the　road　that　was　screened　with　wet　mats　and　the　last　of　the　sun　came　through　in　the　breaks　between　the　strips　of　mattings。　Before　we　were　out　on　the　clear　road　behind　the　hill　the　sun　was　down。　We　went　on　down　the　clear　road　and　as　it　turned　a　corner　into　the　open　and　went　into　the　square　arched　tunnel　of　matting　the　rain　started　again。
The　wind　rose　in　the　night　and　at　three　o'clock　in　the　morning　with　the　rain　ing　in　sheets　there　was　a　bombardment　and　the　Croatians　came　over　across　the　mountain　meadows　and　through　patches　of　woods　and　into　the　front　line。　They　fought　in　the　dark　in　the　rain　and　a　counter…attack　of　scared　men　from　the　second　line　drove　them　back。　There　was　much　shelling　and　many　rockets　in　the　rain　and　machine…gun　and　rifle　fire　all　along　the　line。　They　did　not　e　again　and　it　was　quieter　and　between　the　gusts　of　wind　and　rain　we　could　hear　the　sound　of　a　great　bombardment　far　to　the　north。
The　wounded　were　ing　into　the　post；　some　were　carried　on　stretchers；　some　walking　and　some　were　brought　on　the　backs　of　men　that　came　across　the　field。　They　were　wet　to　the　skin　and　all　were　scared。　We　filled　two　cars　with　stretcher　cases　as　they　came　up　from　the　cellar　of　the　post　and　as　I　shut　the　door　of　the　second　car　and　fastened　it　I　felt　the　rain　on　my　face　turn　to　snow。　The　flakes　were　ing　heavy　and　fast　in　the　rain。
When　daylight　came　the　storm　was　still　blowing　but　the　snow　had　stopped。　It　had　melted　as　it　fell　on　the　wet　ground　and　now　it　was　raining　again。　There　was　another　attack　just　after　daylight　but　it　was　unsuccessful。　We　expected　an　attack　all　day　but　it　did　not　e　until　the　sun　was　going　down。　The　bombardment　started　to　the　south　below　the　long　wooded　ridge　where　the　Austrian　guns　were　concentrated。　We　expected　a　bombardment　but　it　did　not　e。　It　was　getting　dark。　Guns　were　firing　from　the　field　behind　the　village　and　the　shells；　going　away；　had　a　fortable　sound。
We　heard　that　the　attack　to　the　south　had　been　unsuccessful。　They　did　not　attack　that　night　but　we　heard　that　they　had　broken　through　to　the　north。　In　the　night　word　came　that　we　were　to　prepare　to　retreat。　The　captain　at　the　post　told　me　this。　He　had　it　from　the　Brigade。　A　little　while　later　he　came　from　the　telephone　and　said　it　was　a　lie。　The　Brigade　had　received　orders　that　the　line　of　the　Bainsizza　should　be　held　no　matter　what　happened。　I　asked　about　the　break　through　and　he　said　that　he　had　heard　at　the　Brigade　that　the　Austrians　had　broken　through　the　twenty…seventh　army　corps　up　toward　Caporetto。　There　had　been　a　great　battle　in　the　north　all　day。
〃If　those　bastards　let　them　through　we　are　cooked；〃　he　said。
〃It's　Germans　that　are　attacking；〃　one　of　the　medical　officers　said。　The　word　Germans　was　something　to　be　frightened　of。　We　did　not　want　to　have　anything　to　do　with　the　Germans。
〃There　are　fifteen　divisions　of　Germans；〃　the　medical　officer　said。　〃They　have　broken　through　and　we　will　be　cut　off。〃
〃At　the　Brigade；　they　say　this　line　is　to　be　held。　They　say　they　have　not　broken　through　badly　and　that　we　will　hold　a　line　across　the　mountains　from　Monte　Maggiore。〃
〃Where　do　they　hear　this？〃
〃From　the　Division。〃
〃The　word　that　we　were　to　retreat　came　from　the　Division。〃
〃We　work　under　the　Army　Corps；〃　I　said。　〃But　here　I　work　under　you。　Naturally　when　you　tell　me　to　go　I　will　go。　But　get　the　orders　straight。〃
〃The　orders　are　that　we　stay　here。　You　clear　the　wounded　from　here　to　the　clearing　station。〃
〃Sometimes　we　clear　from　the　clearing　station　to　the　field　hospita