seen before. But they were still more
astonished to learn that they were British. They seemed hardly to be
aware that the British were at war with Austria, much less that any
British troops had been within hundreds of miles of them. The incident
closed in much mirth and friendliness.

In the village were also billeted many Italian troops, who used to fill
the night with song, long after most of us had gone to bed:--

"'Addio, mia bell', addio!'
Cantava nel partir la gioventu,"

which is never very far from the lips of any Italian soldier, and those
endless _stornelli_, which to an invariable tune they multiply from day
to day.

"II General Cadorna
Mangiava la bifstecca;
Ai poveri soldati
Si dava castagna secca,"[1]

[Footnote 1: "General Cadorna used to eat beefsteak. To the poor
soldiers they gave dried chestnuts."]

or

"Il Re dal fronte Giulio
Ha scritto alla Regina,
'Arrivato a Trieste
Ti mandero una cartolina,'"[1]

[Footnote 1: "The King has written to the Queen from the Julian Front
'when I get to Trieste, I will send you a picture post card.'"]

with its sardonic variant or sequel,

"Il General Cadorna
Ha scritto alla Regina
'Se vuoi veder Trieste,
Compra una cartolina.'"[1]

[Footnote 1: "General Cadorna has written to the Queen, 'if you want to
see Trieste, buy a picture post card.'"]

Many of the others are for various reasons unprintable, though many are
extremely witty and amusing. Even those which I have quoted were
nominally forbidden by the High Command to be sung, but the prohibition
was not very rigorously enforced. And General Cadorna, after all, had
now passed into history. Of his successor I never heard any evil sung,
though I remember once hearing a great crowd of soldiers and civilians
at Genoa shouting monotonously.

"Viva, viva il Generale Dia!"

The refrain of the _stornelli_ was onomatopoeic, and was intended to
represent the sound of gunfire.

"Bim Bim Bom,
Bim Bim Bom,
Al rombo del cannon."

* * * * *

What a theatrical country Italy is! I remember being out in the streets
of Tiarno one evening with a stream of song issuing from almost every
house, and looking up at the full moon riding high over the towering
peaks that locked in our valley and all but shut out the night sky. I
could hardly believe that it was neither a stage setting nor a dream.

I remember another d