The pain must have been excruciating. But the redskin gave no sign that he sensed its pain.
Great Bear had succeeded in unsheathing his knife, but his hand instantly was pinioned to the ground where the great outlaw held it in a vice-like grip.
All at once Jesse released his hold on the knife hand. The hand with lightning-like quickness shot up to make the fatal thrust.
With a movement equally quick, the desperado caught the hand and with an unexpected movement bent it backward.
Great Bear cried out, and the hand hung limp.
"Ha, ha! Reached you, did I?" gasped Jesse in triumphant tones.
Great Bear snarled like a wounded animal.
The hand though useless, slipped about the outlaw's neck and the savage's arm pinioned it in a grip of iron, while with his free hand he showered blows on the bandit's side.
Jesse fastened his teeth in the redskin's cheek and when he pulled away there was left a great gaping wound, and the bandit spat out his toll of human flesh.
The Indian's grip on Jesse's neck was released and Great Bear with his free hand dealt his antagonist a frightful blow on the side of his head.
Jesse sunk down and all grew black about him.
With a muffled yell of fiendish joy Great Bear sprang free of his antagonist, throwing Jesse with crushing force to the ground where he lay for a brief moment on his back.
It was but the work of an instant for him to secure it.
He made a mighty leap for his desperate, fallen antagonist, his face contorted with the awful passion that was raging within him.
But the brief respite had given Jesse's wonderful recuperative powers, time to act. Yet he lay perfectly still calmly awaiting the onslaught.
The Indian sprang clear of the ground, projecting his body at his fallen antagonist and with gleaming knife held aloft for the fatal blow, was descending upon him with crushing force.
In his rage he did not pause to think or to consider. The lust for human blood overcame all other emotions and blinded the savage's judgment.
The outlaw's eyes were upon him, but this, Great Bear did not know, nor would he have heeded had he seen.
Quicker than the human eye could follow, the desperado's knees doubled up, his legs were drawn back.
The feet shot out with terrific force, catching the savage redskin full in the abdomen.