d that was all the valuables that had been found. Also
he described how Talpers had prevailed upon him to keep the trader's
presence a secret, which McFann had done in his previous testimony.

"Why do you come in with this story, at this late day?" asked the
attorney.

"Because Talpers was lying to me all the time. He had taken money from
that man--some of it in thousand-dollar bills. I did not care for the
money. It was just that this man had lied to me, after I had done all
his bootlegging work. He was playing safe at my expense. If it had been
found that the dead man was robbed, he was ready to lay the blame on me.
When I heard of the money he had hidden, I knew the game he had played.
I walked in on him, and made him take the dead man's money from his
safe. I threw the money in his face and dared him to fight. When he
tried to shoot me, I killed him. It was better that he should die. I
don't care what you do with me, but how are you going to hang Fire Bear
or hang me for being near that body, _when Bill Talpers was there
first_?"

Jim McFann's testimony remained unshaken. Cast doubt upon it as he
would, the prosecuting attorney saw that the half-breed's new testimony
had given an entirely new direction to the trial. He ceased trying to
stem the tide and let the case go to the jury.

The crowd filed out, but waited around the court-house for the verdict.
The irrepressible cowpunchers, who had a habit of laying wagers on
anything and everything, made bets as to the number of minutes the jury
would be out.

"Whichever way it goes, it'll be over in a hurry," said Tom Redmond to
Lowell, "but hanged if I don't believe your men are as good as free this
minute. Talpers's friends have been trying to stir up a lot of sentiment
against Jim McFann, but it has worked the other way. The hull county
seems to think right now that McFann done the right sort of a job, and
that Talpers was not only a bootlegger, but was not above murder, and
was the man who committed that crime on the Dollar Sign road. Of course,
if Talpers done it, Fire Bear couldn't have. Furthermore, this young
Injun has made an awful hit by givin' himself up for trial the way he
has. To tell you the truth, I didn't think he'd show up."

Lowell escaped as soon as he could from the excited sheriff and sought
Helen Ervin, whom he had seen in the court-room.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come to get you, on account of having to bring in
the prisoners," said Lowell, "