at camp-fires and firesides, had
raised that worthy to the rank of hero in the eyes of the majority. Also
the coming of Fire Bear, as he had promised, sent up the Indian's stock.
As Lowell took his men to the court-room he saw bets paid over by men
who had wagered that Fire Bear would not keep his word and that he would
have to be brought to the court-room by force.

The court-house yard could not hold the overflow of spectators from the
court-room. The crowd was orderly, though there was a tremendous craning
of necks when the prisoners were brought in, to see the man who had
killed so redoubtable a gunman as Bill Talpers. Getting a jury was
merely a matter of form, as no challenges were made. The trial opened
with Fire Bear on the stand.

The young Indian added nothing to the testimony he had given at his
preliminary hearing. He told, briefly, how he and his followers had
found the body beside the Dollar Sign road. The prosecuting attorney was
quick to sense a difference in the way the Indian's story was received.
When he had first told it, disbelief was evident. Today it seemed to be
impressing crowd and jury as the truth.

The same sentiment seemed to be even more pronounced when Jim McFann
took the stand, after Fire Bear's brief testimony was concluded without
cross-examination. Audience and jury sat erect. Word was passed out to
the crowd that the half-breed was testifying. In the court-room there
was such a stir that the bailiff was forced to rap for order.

The prosecuting attorney, seeing the case slipping away from him, was
moved to frantic denunciations. He challenged McFann's every statement.

"You claim that you had lost your lariat and were looking for it. Also
that you came upon this dead body, with your rope used to fasten the
murdered man to stakes that had been driven into the prairie?" sneered
the attorney.

"Yes;" said McFann.

"And you claim that you were frightened away by the arrival of Fire Bear
and his Indians before you had a chance to remove the rope?"

"Yes; but I want to add something to that statement," said the
half-breed.

"All right--what is it?"

"There was another man by the body when I came there looking for my
rope."

"Who was that man?"

"Talpers."

A thrill ran through the court-room as the half-breed went on and
described how he had found the trader stooping over the murdered man,
and how Talpers had shown him a watch which he had taken from the
victim, but claime