Indian named Fire Bear, who had gathered
many followers, and who, with his cohorts, had proceeded to dance and
"make medicine" to the exclusion of all other employment. Fire Bear's
defection had set many rumors afloat. Timid settlers near the
reservation had expressed fear of a general uprising, which fear had
been fanned by the threats and boastings sent broadcast by some of Fire
Bear's more reckless followers.

Lowell was frankly worried as he sped away from the agency with Plenty
Buffalo and the interpreter. Every crime, large or small, which occurred
near the reservation, and which did not carry its own solution, was laid
to Indians. Here was something which pointed directly to Indian
handiwork, and Lowell in imagination could hear a great outcry going up.

Plenty Buffalo gave little more information as the car swayed along the
road that led off the reservation.

"He says he was off the reservation trailing Jim McFann," remarked the
interpreter. "He thought Jim was going along the road to Talpers's
store, but Plenty Buffalo was mistaken. He did not find Jim, but what he
did find was this man who had been killed."

"Jim McFann isn't a bad fellow at heart, but this bootlegging and
trailing around with Bill Talpers will get him in trouble yet," replied
the agent. "He's pretty clever, or Plenty Buffalo's men would have
caught him long before this."

They were approaching Talpers's store as the agent spoke. The store was
a barn-like building, with a row of poplars at the north, and a big
cottonwood in front. A few houses were clustered about. Bill Talpers,
store-keeper and postmaster, looked out of the door as the automobile
went past. Generally there were Indians sitting in front of the store,
but to-day there were none. Plenty Buffalo volunteered the information
that there had been a "big sing" on a distant part of the reservation
which had attracted most of the residents from this neighborhood.
Talpers was seen running out to his horse, which stood in front of the
store.

"He'll be along pretty soon," said the agent. "He knows there's
something unusual going on."

The road over which the party was traveling was sometimes called the
Dollar Sign, for the reason that it wound across the reservation line
like a letter S. After leaving White Lodge, which was off the
reservation, any traveler on the road crossed the line and soon went
through the agency. Then there was a curve which took him across the
line again