39(1 A SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



This nevv's was brought into Berlin by Adolf Mayer, a kins- 

 man of King Menelik of A.byssinia, who arrived there wath a com- 

 mission from the Abyssinian Government to purchase supplies. 



King Menelik sent an invitation to Mr. Roosevelt at Wash- 

 ington to be his guest, but Mr. Roosevelt declined, explaining that 

 as he had refused the invitations of several European sovereigns, 

 he could not make an exception of King Menelik, however much he 

 might desire to do so. It was then arranged that the Crown Prince 

 should invite Mr. Roosevelt " unofficially. Before Mayer left 

 Abyssinia a mission had been sent to hand this invitation to Mr. 

 Roosevelt wherever it could find him, and King Menelik was hopeful 

 that the former President of the United States would accept the 

 invitation in its present form. 



AN IMPRESSIVE INVITATION. 



The envoys of the King were empowered to point out to Mr. 

 Roosevelt, Mr, Mayer said, " that there is unrivalled elephant hunt- 

 ing in Abyssinia. The Crown Prince will send out 5,000 horsemen 

 to encircle an immense range of prairie and drive in the elephants. 

 Hundreds and possibly thousands of elephants could be thus assem 

 bled, and there would probably be one or two white ones among this 

 number. These beasts are not really vdiite, but merely animals of 

 great vigor who have lived to be gray haired." 



When it was suggested that the Crown Prince of Abyssinia 

 vvas only fourteen years old, Mr. Mayer replied that Abyssinians 

 develop young. He declared that the Prince was an expert and 

 adventurous huntsman; that he spoke English, Erench and German, 

 and that he was quite capable personally of showing Mr. Roosevelt 

 fine hunting. 



" Many stories have reached the court of King Menelik," Mr. 

 Mayer said, in conclusion, " of Mr. Roosevelt's prowess as a horse- 

 man, a hunter, a soldier and an administrator. The King is most 

 keen to greet him, and he probably would go to the borders of his 

 country with a great following to receive Mr. Roosevelt." 



Mr. Mayer is the son of a German engineer who married a 

 sister of King Menelik. 



