I am usually painfully nervous when I attempt to make a speech, however short, but this was an occasion when nervousness was impossible, so I got up, and raising my glass towards the General, asked to be permitted to drink to the Glory of the Italian Army! Needless to add, that the toast was received with a chorus of applause. The dinner consisted of five courses, and was excellent; in fact, the chef must have tried to surpass himself in honour of the victory. The conversation was almost entirely confined to war subjects, and I was surprised to find how well-informed my neighbours were in regard to England’s great effort. I could not help thinking how very few English officers could tell you as much about Italy’s part in the war. After dinner we all went out on to the terrace, and the sight that met our eyes beggars description. It was now past eleven o’clock, but the battle was still raging furiously from San Floriano to the Carso. From end to end of the line the crests of the hills were illuminated by the lightning-like flashes of exploding shells, and the rays of powerful searchlights. The still night air seemed as though to vibrate with the continuous crash of field-pieces. Every now and again “Bengal lights” and “Star shells” rose in the sky like phantom fireworks, and shed a weird blue light around. We stood for some time in wrapt silence, spellbound by the awe-inspiring spectacle, for it was certain that nothing living could exist in that inferno on the hills. The wooded plain below the terrace had the appearance of a vast black chasm from where we stood. It was studded curiously here and there with little lights like Will-o’-the-Wisps that were moving forward in unison. From what I had seen for myself the previous day I knew that the whole countryside was uninhabited, so I asked an artillery officer standing by me if he could let me know what they were. To my amazement he told me that they were the guiding lanterns of Italian batteries advancing—to enable the officers to keep touch and alignment in the darkness. There were, he added with dramatic impressiveness, at that moment over six hundred guns converging on the Austrian positions. The methodical precision of it all was simply marvellous; even here, not even the smallest detail of organization had been left to chance. Meanwhile the Austrian fire was noticeably decreasing, till at last the crash of the guns came from the Italian batteries only; the “Bengal lights” and “Star shells” were less frequent, and only one solitary searchlight remained. We had seen probably all there was to see that night, and it was about time to think of getting back to Udine for a few hours sleep, if we were to return to see the big operations in the early morning, so we made our way back to the house to take our leave and fetch our coats.