RAPTURES OF A NAVAL RAID.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14590, 27 April 1918, Page 3

RAPTURES OF A NAVAL RAID.

SIGNOR D'ANKUNZIO DESCRIBES

HIS ADVENTURE.

MILAN, March 3. The Italian poet, Signor D'Annunzio, was one of the officers who took part m. the recent naval raid m. the Bay of Buccarii m the QaU of Mume, arid* the sinking of a' large Austrian steamer anohpred therev- '■ ■'■':'■ \' „-■.■'-'•■;■':" ■■■' •

In a letter; to ;a friend the poet Ki-ys : •'On the nagKt Jiti Pebruary 10, with three '; armed ;motbr-iaunches and three 'seaplanes w& forced our way ; into 'the G-ulf '-.of Quatnero. What a^lriagnifioezit adventure!* "I 'was tweiity -three ho ill's on the' s«ay' eight of iwhich I spent m the Very throit o£ the enemy, or rather, I should' say, m the depths of his stomach. Never, was there /such ; a real dream. ■We were quite alone m our 1 little boat, j We passed throtugh the ffaresina ahtinnel ■with 1 aii impudence i afein to-l madness. We steered less than "fifty yards from the Austriam coast, and m the narrow Bay of Buccari w« remained for a space oi thirty-five minutes. ■ , -Having torpedoed a .ship whioh was anchored there, we- made our exit amidst the roar of the explosion., I left, floating on the water^ three bottlea which flamed, with the three colors bJf 'Italy, and the. astonishment -jot the Austrian^ must have ibe'en immense. The sentries fired wildly., As our third motor-boat had engine troubles, we turned back into the Faresiiia channel,! and moved about there as if we were the owners of the place indeed. The sentries apDarently unable to believe that we were: Italians, ceased firing altogether." The following is the text of tn© n>csftage which D'Annunzjoi enclosecV {« the bottles:-^- . • ?■;■;

"Contemptiiouß of t-he «autidus \nstrittn^Eleet whiph obcupiea itself behind the shelter af it« guarded ports m rnirs-' ing, the little bit of glory which it won at Uss&, the Italian Navy has come with nre and flame to dispel confidence even m the safest retreat. Th« Italian Jfavv laufflw at every kind of w% and barri-' cade, and, is always r«a% to dare iJie Witfe-. them also has come a good rompankav whom you well know the principal enemy, and amongst your enemies th.£ most. bitter, to laugh at the price you have placed on his head-KJab-viele D Annunzio." ■ ■ • . >

It, lias been publicly announced that the Austrian Government has set a price on the head..oi the Italian poet. v