e and escape never deserted it. With patient cunning
he could plan and wait, scheme and execute. He was all animal now,
dreaming only of how to tear and kill.

And he waited long in order to be perfectly sure, unrolling inch by
inch, and like a venomous snake, never venturing to withdraw his
baleful eyes from his unconscious victim. He was many minutes
thoroughly satisfying himself that Hampton actually slept. His every
movement was slow, crafty, cowardly, the savage in his perverted nature
becoming more and more manifest. It was more beast than man that
finally crept forward on all-fours, the eyes gleaming cruel as a cat's
in the night. It was not far he was compelled to go, his movements
squirming and noiseless. Within a yard of the peacefully slumbering
man he rose up, crouching on his toes and bending stealthily forward to
gloat over his victim. Hampton stirred uneasily, possibly feeling the
close proximity of that horrible presence. Then the maniac took one
more stealthy, slouching step nearer, and flung himself at the exposed
throat, uttering a fierce snarl as his fingers clutched the soft flesh.
Hampton awoke, gasping and choking, to find those mad eyes glaring into
his own, those murderous hands throttling him with the strength of
madness.

At first the stupefied, half-awakened man struggled as if in delirium,
scarcely realizing the danger. He was aware of suffering, of horror,
of suffocation. Then the brain flashed into life, and he grappled
fiercely with his dread antagonist. Murphy snapped like a mad dog, his
lips snarling curses; but Hampton fought silently, desperately, his
brain clearing as he succeeded in wrenching those claws from his
lacerated throat, and forced his way up on to one knee. He felt no
hatred toward this crazed man striving to kill him; he understood what
had loosed such a raging devil. But this was no time to exhibit mercy;
Murphy bit and clawed, and Hampton could only dash in upon him in the
effort to force him back. He worked his way, inch by inch, to his
feet, his slender figure rigid as steel, and closed in upon the other;
but Murphy writhed out of his grasp, as a snake might. The younger man
realized now to the full his peril, and his hand slipped down to the
gun upon his hip. There was a sudden glint in the faint starlight as
he struck, and the stunned maniac went down quivering, and lay
motionless on the hard ground. For a moment the other remained
standing over