Admiral Cagni was invited by the Yugoslavs to enter the harbour of Pola.
But for two and a half days he hesitated outside and heavily bombarded
the hill-fortress of Barbarica, which had been abandoned. At last he
made up his mind to risk a landing. The Italian girls of Pola, dressed
in white, came down in a procession to the port; their arms were full of
flowers for the Italian sailors. And the first men who disembarked were
buried in flowers and kissed and kissed before the girls perceived that,
by a prudent Italian arrangement, this advance guard consisted of men of
the Czecho-Slovak Legion. The first care of the Italians at Pola was not
to ascertain the whereabouts of the munition depots; they made for the
naval museum, where trophies from the battle of Vis in 1866 were
preserved. These they removed, as well as whatever took their fancy at
the Arsenal. Among their booty was a silver dinner service which it had
been customary to use on occasions of Imperial visits. An Italian
officer appeared on the _Radetzky_. Very roughly he asked an officer who
he was. "I am the commander," said this first-lieutenant. "No! no!" said
the other, "I am that." But the Italians for the most part avoided going
on board the ships.... Admiral Cagni himself was very ill at ease, but
grew noticeably more confident as he observed the utter demoralization
of Pola. His correspondence likewise underwent the appropriate changes.
While Koch was in command of 45,000 men, Cagni wrote to "His Excellency
the most illustrious Signor Ammiraglio"; when the numbers were reduced
to 20,000 the style of address was "Illustrious Signor Ammiraglio"; when
they fell to 10,000 it became "Al Signor Ammiraglio"; when only 5000
remained a letter began with the word "Ammiraglio!" and when the last
man had left Pola and Koch was alone, Cagni sent word through his
adjutant that he knew no Admiral Koch but merely a Signor Koch.