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Entered according to Act of Congress, in June, 1870, by J. W. Buhke & Cos., in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District of Georgia Vol. IV—No. 9. Abridged for Burke’s Weekly A ROYAL ELEPHANT HUNT IN AFRICA. _ N the ‘‘Adventures on the Yga Great Hunting Grounds of the World,”* we find a very in teresting account of an elephant hunt, in which His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh (a son of Queen Victoria) played a prominent part. The Duke, accompanied by the Gov ernor, and some other gen- tlemen, arrived at Knysna, a little village some dis tance from Simonstown, at noon on the 7th of Sep- the next morn at the head of forty norsemen, and attended by seven bullock wagons, started for elephant shoot ing at Middle Erf, which is about a good hour's ride from the village. There one of the scouts met the party with the information that the old bull elephant, which the Duke was desi rous of shooting, had left that quarter only the night before. The party at once abandoned the road and dashed across the country. In less than an hour they came to another road, and as soon as the wagons ar rived they encamped near a pretty stream and had breakfast. After breakfast they continued their ride to BufFel’s Nek, where they pitched camp. Here, about nine o’clock, it began to rain heavily, accompanied with a strong and very disagreeable wind, which continued until noon the next day. The rain having abated, a little past noon on the 11th the horses were saddled and the party made another start. After riding for more than an hour along a high ridge, one of the scouts came up and reported eleven * Illustrated Library of Wonders: C. Scrib ner & Cos., Now York. elephants grazing in the valley below; and on advancing a little further they were distinctly seen. The Governor, who had fallen behind, having come up, the Duke made a move, and, followed by the hunters, descended into the val ley. But things did not turn out favor ably, for the Duke, after several hours hunting, was obliged to fire at long range. He discharged six shots, all of which took effect, and then the others blazed away; but though three ele phants were wounded, two of them \ws3m'W& iTOgfe* ±ji^:*3£Lfc*&tM : - ~ •• }&,<£: 40 *• i^^fjir4'V.-%TO| ' *' M : 'l. very severely, they managed to escape. There was no rain that night, but a strong, cold and biting blast. The next morning, there was anew arrival in the camp, who came to inform the Duke that the elephants had been seen the previous evening on the edge of a de tached piece of forest, which is situated on Middle Erf; so the word was passed to saddle up, after a cup of coffee, as the party expected to take breakfast in the same place where they had break fasted the preceding day. In this, how ever, they were disappointed, for before MACON, GEORGIA, AUGUST 27, 1870. “THE duke discharged both barrels in quick succession.” * they reached their old camp, a messen ger dashed up with information that the elephants had been seen hardly an hour before at Middle Erf. Os course, there was no time for breakfast, and the party dashed forward. Middle Erf forest, where the Duke’s famous exploit took place, “crowns the summit of a gentle hill, within two hun dred yards of the public road leading to Plettenberg’s Bay. It is not more than a mile in circumference, and stands com pletely detached from the great forest, which is about six hundred yards dis tant at the nearest point. It is admira bly situated for holding an elephant at bay ; and, in fact, if the Duke had had the choice of every part of the colony, he could not have selected a spot better adapted for his purpose. As soon as the party reached Middle Erf, straps were put on the dogs, and they were held fast; for the Duke intended to stalk the elephants if he should find them in the open country; but on re connoitering he could see nothing of them, and therefore the dogs were Whole No. 165. turned loose again, while most of the hunters were directed to go to the rear of the detached piece of forest, and drive the elephants out of the north side, where the Duke and his escort were sta tioned. Presently, one elephant showed himself at the Duke’s side, trumpeting and fighting with the dogs. This ele phant disappeared and came in view again half-a-dozen times, on two of which he raised his head and held up his trunk perpendicularly, as if trying to discover by that means what chance he had of making his es cape. He evidently wanted to break covert, but hesi tated to do so from seeing the Duke and his party, who had stationed them selves directly across the path usually taken by the elephants in passing from Middle Erf to the great forest. “The Duke had been hi therto standing about three hundred yards from the edge of the detached piece of forest, but he and his escort now decided to ad vance within close range, and fire at the elephant, the next time he made his appearance. An advance was accordingly made by the party, but to their sur prise, no elephant or dogs were to be seen. All had become suddenly quiet at that side, and it was very evident, from the direction in which their barking was heard, that the dogs had gone towards the rear. The fact is, there were three elephants afoot, and the particular one which had appeared repeatedly to the Duke and his party had managed to elude the dogs and conceal himself from view. Mr. George Rex, the captain of the hunt, now called to a boy at a little distance, and told him to mount his horse and ride to ascertain what was going on in the rear. It is right, how ever, here to remark, that Middle Erf is intersected by a narrow road, each