IN THE SHADOW
less mentally stable than the others it makes a profound impression; he broods upon it, dreams of it, is haunted … until some day the opportunity occurs and because the image of this thing is greater in his lop-sided brain than his sense of logic he rushes blindly on and does this thing, and is in turn taken, burned, and made material for other madmen to work on. It works the same in other natures where perhaps the deranged impulse is instead homicide or pyromania; runs in epidemics, as do all crankisms, bomb throwing, and the like. If the man could be taken quietly and killed without any sensation there would be far less of this sort of thing, to my mind."
"I will not attempt to argue with you, doctor," answered Manning wearily. "I have heard somewhat similar views advanced. Perhaps you are right."
Leyden, regretting the discussion, for he was aware of Manning's distaste of the topic, quickly and tactfully changed the conversation.
The following morning Manning took Leyden to inspect the rice fields. As they were walking their horses along the top of one of the huge dikes which held back the vast cypress-studded expanse of water in the closed reserve, they came upon a white man sitting upon the rim of the main trunk. His rifle lay across his knee. Manning glanced at him sharply, decided that he was awaiting a shot at one of the wild, unmarked hogs which wreaked such havoc with the dikes, and was about to pass on with a brief greeting, when Leyden paused. He had recognized the man as one of the band of the day before.
"Did you catch your negro?" he asked. The man grinned sheepishly.
270
