Beyond conjecture, he was resting now within the shadows of those willows, studying the opposite shore and making ready for the dash northward.
Hampton believed he would linger thus for some time after dark, to see if Indian fires would afford any guidance.

Confident of this, he passed back to his horses, rubbed them down with grass, and then ate his lonely supper, not venturing to light a fire, certain that Murphy's eyes were scanning every inch of sky-line.
Darkness came rapidly, while Hampton sat planning again the details of his night's work.

The man's spirits became depressed by the gloom and the silence.

Evil fancies haunted his brain.

His mind dwelt upon the past, upon that wrong which had wrecked his life, upon the young girl he had left praying for his safe return, upon that miserable creature skulking yonder in the black night.