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.
Great Bear doubled up like a jack knife and catapulted in the air, turning a complete somersault, ending up by landing on his head on the hard rocks some distance away.
The Indian toppled over and lay still.
It was now Jesse's moment to act.