gallant and skilful conduct of the rear-guard of the Italian army
is, indeed, the brightest part of the gloomy story of the retreat.

[Sidenote: The Italian armies are on the defensive.]

[Sidenote: The war now a struggle against invaders.]

The cavalry, specially, played a distinguished part in covering the
retirement. Charging machine-guns with the lance, and holding commanding
positions until they were virtually cut off, these regiments had very
heavy losses. A retreat where circumstances make it impossible to get
the whole of the army away imposes upon the rear-guard a call for
special self-sacrifice, since the moment never comes, when, the whole of
the main body being safely past, it can break off the combat and itself
retire, its duty done. In the withdrawal of the armies that were along
the front in the Cadore and Carnic Alps, occasions of this kind occurred
several times during the week throughout which the retreat lasted, when
rear-guard detachments were completely surrounded. At Lorenzago a force
in this position succeeded in cutting its way back to join the main body
again; west of Gemona, however, the remnants of the Thirty-sixth
Division were so thoroughly engulfed by the advancing Austro-German
forces that, having used up all their ammunition, they were obliged to
surrender. And so, gradually, not without moments of discouragement
almost amounting to despair, the Italian armies, which ten days before
had been fighting on Austrian territory with every prospect of carrying
still further a series of victories that had lasted two years and a
half, found themselves on the defensive far back of their own borders,
awaiting the attack of a triumphant and advancing foe. It had been a
terrible trial for them and for the nation at their back. Almost in one
night, dreams of imperial expansion, cherished with an enthusiasm that
gave them an air of virtual reality, faded into a remoteness beyond
reckoning. The war that had been from the first gloriously offensive,
was suddenly transformed into an outnumbered struggle against invaders
who had already seized half of one of the richest provinces of Italy.
Yet, though numbed by the shock and stricken to the heart by the
realization of her disaster, Italy reacted well. There was no talk of
yielding to be heard, only anxious discussion of the best means of
organizing the further resistance that would so soon be necessary.

For though the great majority of the Italian army