124 Hunting the Grisly 



shove itself forward on its hind-legs, and 

 partly rolled, partly pushed itself into the 

 thicket, the bushes though low being so dense 

 that its body was at once completely hidden. 

 The thicket was a mere patch of brush, not 

 twenty yards across in any direction. The 

 leading troopers reached the edge almost as 

 the bear tumbled in. One of them, a tall and 

 powerful man named Miller, instantly dis 

 mounted and prepared to force his way in 

 among the dwarfed willows, which were but 

 breast-high. Among the men who had rid 

 den up were Moore and Bates, and also the 

 two famous scouts, Buffalo Bill long a com 

 panion of Captain Moore, and California 

 Joe, Custer s faithful follower. California 

 Joe had spent almost all his life on the plains 

 and in the mountains, as a hunter and Indian 

 fighter; and when he saw the trooper about to 

 rush into the thicket he called out to him not 

 to do so, warning him of the danger. But the 

 man was a very reckless fellow and he an 

 swered by jeering at the old hunter for his 

 over-caution in being afraid of a crippled 

 bear. California Joe made no further effort 

 to dissuade him, remarking quietly: &quot;Very 

 well, sonny, go in; it s your own affair.&quot; Mil 

 ler then leaped off the bank on which they 



