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第1部分（第1页）

by　Ernest　Hemingway

1

In　the　late　summer　of　that　year　we　lived　in　a　house　in　a　village　that　looked　across　the　river　and　the　plain　to　the　mountains。

　In　the　bed　of　the　river　there　were　pebbles　and　boulders；　dry　and　white　in　the　sun；　and　the　water　was　clear　and　swiftly　moving　and　blue　in　the　channels。

　Troops　went　by　the　house　and　down　the　road　and　the　dust　they　raised　powdered　the　leaves　of　the　trees。

　The　trunks　of　the　trees　too　were　dusty　and　the　leaves　fell　early　that　year　and　we　saw　the　troops　marching　along　the　road　and　the　dust　rising　and　leaves；　stirred　by　the　breeze；　falling　and　the　soldiers　marching　and　afterward　the　road　bare　and　white　except　for　the　leaves。

The　plain　was　rich　with　crops；　there　were　many　orchards　of　fruit　trees　and　beyond　the　plain　the　mountains　were　brown　and　bare。

　There　was　fighting　in　the　mountains　and　at　night　we　could　see　the　flashes　from　the　artillery。

　In　the　dark　it　was　like　summer　lightning；　but　the　nights　were　cool　and　there　was　not　the　feeling　of　a　storm　ing。

Sometimes　in　the　dark　we　heard　the　troops　marching　under　the　window　and　guns　going　past　pulled　by　motor…tractors。

　There　was　much　traffic　at　night　and　many　mules　on　the　roads　with　boxes　of　ammunition　on　each　side　of　their　pack…saddles　and　gray　motor　trucks　that　carried　men；　and　other　trucks　with　loads　covered　with　canvas　that　moved　slower　in　the　traffic。

　There　were　big　guns　too　that　passed　in　the　day　drawn　by　tractors；　the　long　barrels　of　the　guns　covered　with　green　branches　and　green　leafy　branches　and　vines　laid　over　the　tractors。

　To　the　north　we　could　look　across　a　valley　and　see　a　forest　of　chestnut　trees　and　behind　it　another　mountain　on　this　side　of　the　river。

　There　was　fighting　for　that　mountain　too；　but　it　was　not　successful；　and　in　the　fall　when　the　rains　came　the　leaves　all　fell　from　the　chestnut　trees　and　the　branches　were　bare　and　the　trunks　black　with　rain。

　The　vineyards　were　thin　and　bare…branched　too　and　all　the　country　wet　and　brown　and　dead　with　the　autumn。

　There　were　mists　over　the　river　and　clouds　on　the　mountain　and　the　trucks　splashed　mud　on　the　road　and　the　troops　were　muddy　and　wet　in　their　capes；　their　rifles　were　wet　and　under　their　capes　the　two　leather　cartridge…boxes　on　the　front　of　the　belts；　gray　leather　boxes　heavy　with　the　packs　of　clips　of　thin；　long　6。

5　mm。

　cartridges；　bulged　forward　under　the　capes　so　that　the　men；　passing　on　the　road；　marched　as　though　they　were　six　months　gone　with　child。

There　were　small　gray　motor　cars　that　passed　going　very　fast；　usually　there　was　an　officer　on　the　seat　with　the　driver　and　more　officers　in　the　back　seat。

　They　splashed　more　mud　than　the　camions　even　and　if　one　of　the　officers　in　the　back　was　very　small　and　sitting　between　two　generals；　he　himself　so　small　that　you　could　not　see　his　face　but　only　the　top　of　his　cap　and　his　narrow　back；　and　if　the　car　went　especially　fast　it　was　probably　the　King。

　He　lived　in　Udine　and　came　out　in　this　way　nearly　every　day　to　see　how　things　were　going；　and　things　went　very　badly。

At　the　start　of　the　winter　came　the　permanent　rain　and　with　the　rain　came　the　cholera。

　But　it　was　checked　and　in　the　end　only　seven　thousand　died　of　it　in　the　army。

2

The　next　year　there　were　many　victories。

　The　mountain　that　was　beyond　the　valley　and　the　hillside　where　the　chestnut　forest　grew　was　captured　and　there　were　victories　beyond　the　plain　on　the　plateau　to　the　south　and　we　crossed　the　river　in　August　and　lived　in　a　house　in　Gorizia　that　had　a　fountain　and　many　thick　shady　trees　in　a　walled　garden　and　a　wistaria　vine　purple　on　the　side　of　the　house。

　Now　the　fighting　was　in　the　next　mountains　beyond　and　was　not　a　mile　away。

　The　town　was　very　nice　and　our　house　was　very　fine。

　The　river　ran　behind　us　and　the　town　had　been　captured　very　handsomely　but　the　mountains　beyond　it　could　not　be　taken　and　I　was　very　glad　the　Austrians　seemed　to　want　to　e　back　to　the　town　some　time；　if　the　war　should　end；　because　they　did　not　bombard　it　to　destroy　it　but　only　a　little　in　a　military　way。

　People　lived　on　in　it　and　there　were　hospitals　and　caf閟　and　artillery　up　side　streets　and　two　bawdy　houses；　one　for　troops　and　one　for　officers；　and　with　the　end　of　the　summer；　the　cool　nights；　the　fighting　in　the　mountains　beyond　the　town；　the　shell…marked　iron　of　the　railway　bridge；　the　smashed　tunnel　by　the　river　where　the　fighting　had　been；　the　trees　around　the　square　and　the　long　avenue　of　trees　that　led　to　the　square；　these　with　there　being　girls　in　the　town；　the　King　passing　in　his　motor　car；　sometimes　now　seeing　his　face　and　little　long　necked　body　and　gray　beard　like　a　goats　chin　tuft；　all　these　with　the　sudden　interiors　of　houses　that　had　lost　a　wall　through　shelling；　with　plaster　and　rubble　in　their　gardens　and　sometimes　in　the　street；　and　the　whole　thing　going　well　on　the　Carso　made　the　fall　very　different　from　the　last　fall　when　we　had　been　in　the　country。

　The　war　was　changed　too。

The　forest　of　oak　trees　on　the　mountain　beyond　the　town　was　gone。

　The　forest　had　been　green　in　the　summer　when　we　had　e　into　the　town　but　now　there　were　the　stumps　and　the　broken　trunks　and　the　ground　torn　up；　and　one　day　at　the　end　of　the　fall　when　I　was　out　where　the　oak　forest　had　been　I　saw　a　cloud　ing　over　the　mountain。

　It　came　very　fast　and　the　sun　went　a　dull　yellow　and　then　everything　was　gray　and　the　sky　was　covered　and　the　cloud　came　on　down　the　mountain　and　suddenly　we　were　in　it　and　it　was　snow。

　The　snow　slanted　across　the　wind；　the　bare　ground　was　covered；　the　stumps　of　trees　projected；　there　was　snow　on　the　guns　and　there　were　paths　in　the　snow　going　back　to　the　latrines　behind　trenches。

Later；　below　in　the　town；　I　watched　the　snow　falling；　looking　out　of　the　window　of　the　bawdy　house；　the　house　for　officers；　where　I　sat　with　a　friend　and　two　glasses　drinking　a　bottle　of　Asti；　and；　looking　out　at　the　snow　falling　slowly　and　heavily；　we　knew　it　was　all　over　for　that　year。

　Up　the　river　the　mountains　had　not　been　taken；　none　of　the　mountains　beyond　the　river　had　been　taken。

　That　was　all　left　for　next　year。

　My　friend　saw　the　priest　from　our　mess　going　by　in　the　street；　walking　carefully　in　the　slush；　and　pounded　on　the　window　to　attract　his　attention。