〃 Piani said。
〃I'll look too;〃 Bonello said。
〃All right;〃 I said。 〃I'll go up and look at the barn。〃 I found a stone stairway that went up from the stable underneath。 The stable smelt dry and pleasant in the rain。 The cattle were all gone; probably driven off when they left。 The barn was half full of hay。 There were two windows in the roof; one was blocked with boards; the other was a narrow dormer window on the north side。 There was a chute so that hay might be pitched down to the cattle。 Beams crossed the opening down into the main floor where the hay…carts drove in when the hay was hauled in to be pitched up。 I heard the rain on the roof and smelled the hay and; when I went down; the clean smell of dried dung in the stable。 We could pry a board loose and see out of the south window down into the courtyard。 The other window looked out on the field toward the north。 We could get out of either window onto the roof and down; or go down the hay chute if the stairs were impractical。 It was a big barn and we could hide in the hay if we heard any one。 It seemed like a good place。 I was sure we could have gotten through to the south if they had not fired on us。 It was impossible that there were Germans there。 They were ing from the north and down the road from Cividale。 They could not have e through from the south。 The Italians were even more dangerous。 They were frightened and firing on anything they saw。 Last night on the retreat we had heard that there had been many Germans in Italian uniforms mixing with the retreat in the north。 I did not believe it。 That was one of those things you always heard in the war。 It was one of the things the enemy always did to you。 You did not know any one who went over in German uniform to confuse them。 Maybe they did but it so