da gatto_, or cat shoes, made of string soles with felt
uppers, which are more lasting than the Pyrenean straw sandals. The
_Gavetta_, or mess tin of the Alpini, is very practical. It is of the
same shape as ours, but a little deeper, and has a reserve of spirit
at the base and a spirit lamp, enabling the Alpini to make coffee or
heat their wine. They use racquets or skis on the snow, and carry
either the alpenstock or the ice ax.

[Illustration: The Italian Front.]

"I did not realize before coming here that trench warfare, and the
close proximity of hostile trenches, had become as usual in the
mountains as in the plains. The defenses are, of course, not
continuous over such a long, and in parts, impassable line, but tend
to concentrate at the passes and other points of tactical importance.
But here the adversaries draw together, and one often finds lines only
separated by twenty yards.

"The Alpini are usually as much deprived of the power of maneuvering
as their comrades in the plains, and all that is left for them is to
act by surprise. They have a system of attacking by infiltration
forward, not so very dissimilar from Boer methods, and they have a
number of devices and surprises which repay study.

"Their enemy is worthy of them, for the chamois hunters, the
foresters, the cragsmen of the Austrian Alps are no mean antagonists,
as all of us know who have shot and climbed with them. Very fine men,
they shoot quick and straight, and when an officer of Alpini tells us
not to dally to admire the scenery, because we are within view of an
Austrian post within easy range, we recall old days and make no
difficulty about complying.

"The Germans trained their Alpine corps here before it went to Serbia,
and the Italians made many prisoners from it--Bavarians, Westphalians,
and East Prussians. So at least I am told by officers of Alpini who
fought with it, and it is certainly proved beyond all doubt that
German artillery has been, and is now, cooperating with the Austrians
on the Italian front.

"The Alpini hold their positions winter and summer on the highest
peaks and have made a great name for themselves. They have lost
heavily, and the avalanches have also taken a serious toll of them.
One parts with them with regret, for they are indeed very fine
fellows, and the war they wage is very hard.

"One point more. Pasubio is not one of the highest peaks in Italian
hands, but snow fell there in the end of May and will