who spoke to the Germans
declared that one must not abandon hopes of victory, and that anyhow the
War would soon be over. Count Thun, who discoursed to the Czechs, was
ill-advised enough to make the Deity, their Kaiser and their oath the
main subjects of his remarks, so that he was more than once in great
danger of being thrown overboard. Koch went first of all to the _Viribus
Unitis_, but the mutiny had begun; a bugle was sounded for a general
assembly; it was ignored, and the crew let it be known that they were
weary of the old game, which consisted of the officers egging on one
nation against another. This mutiny had not yet spread to the remaining
ships, and on them the speeches were delivered. At the National Assembly
that evening Koch was chosen as chief of National Defence; he thereupon
went to Cicoli and formally asked to be allowed to join the committee.
When Vienna refused its assent, Koch resigned his commission. By this
time all discipline had gone by the board, no one thought of such a
thing as office work and, amid the chaos, sailors' councils appeared,
with which Koch had to treat. The situation was made no easier by the
presence of large numbers of Germans, Magyars and Italians, of whom the
latter also formed a National Council. On the 30th, Koch, as chief of
National Defence, asked Admirals Cicoli and Horthy to come at 9 p.m. to
the Admiralty, with a view to the transference of the military power. At
7.30, in the municipal building, there was a joint meeting of the
Yugoslav and the Italian National Councils, and so many speeches were
made that the Admirals had to be asked to postpone their appearance for
two hours; and at eleven o'clock, with the street well guarded against a
possible outbreak on the part of any loyal troops, the whole Yugoslav
committee, accompanied by one member of the Italian committee, went to
the Admiralty. Horthy had gone home, but Cicoli and his whole staff were
waiting. The old gentleman was informed that he no longer had any power
in his hands; he was asked to give up his post to Koch, and this he was
prepared to do. "It is not so hard for me now," he said, "as I have
meanwhile received a telegram from His Majesty, ordering me," and at
this point he produced the paper, "to give up Pola to the Yugoslavs."
The affair had apparently been settled between nine and eleven o'clock.
Cicoli was ready to sign the protocol, but out of courtesy to a
chivalrous old man this was left undone; a