The thought gave him comfort. The outlaw's guns had become as much a part of himself as were his hands or his feet.
As his mind by slow process began to clear, he set about finding out why it was that he could not move--whether he had been seriously wounded or what mysterious force was holding him down.
The discovery came as a distinct shock and roused all the rage that his savage nature was capable of.
Jesse's inclination was to give voice to his passions--to hurl invective at his unseen captors, to taunt them, to goad them, but not to plead. Jesse James had pleaded with no man in his eventful life. It was not in his nature to do so, nor would he begin now.
Yet he did not quite understand what manner of torture they had inflicted upon him to put him in such pain. But it was a matter of only a moment or so before he was made acquainted with his exact situation.
The great desperado had been subjected to the humiliation of being bound hand and foot. And more than that, his manacled hands had been triced up to a stake protruding from the ground some eighteen inches, and the feet had been treated similarly. His position was such that the weight of his body was a constant strain upon the thongs that bound him, a strain that extended through his entire body.
"I hope I killed the cursed savage," he gritted.
But his fond hopes were dashed almost at the moment of the utterance of them.
The flap was slowly pulled aside and an evil, ghastly face peered in--a face so torn and mutilated that Jesse observed nothing familiar in it.
All at once he noticed that an ear was missing from the place where it should have been.
The face was that of his late antagonist, Great Bear.
Great Bear jerked aside the flap so viciously that he tore it from its fastenings, allowing it to drop slowly from his lingering grasp as he surveyed his captive with malignant eyes.
"Welcome to our home, old scarred-face," jeered Jesse.
Great Bear made no reply, standing with head erect, searching keenly for some sign of fear or weakening in the face of his captive.
After a time, the redskin squatted on the turf and with chin in hands sat holding the outlaw with a steady gaze. For an hour he sat thus, Jesse glaring back at him with menacing, challenging eyes.