What does Malcolm in Macbeth (Act 2, Scene 4) means when he says...?

Question:"This murderous shaft that's shot hath not yet lighted, and our safest way is to avoid the aim. Therefore to horse and let us not be dainty of leave-taking, but shift away. there's warrant in that theft which steals itself when there's no mercy left."

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: "This murderous shaft that's shot hath not yet lighted, and our safest way is to avoid the aim. Therefore to horse and let us not be dainty of leave-taking, but shift away. there's warrant in that theft which steals itself when there's no mercy left."

We haven't yet encountered that danger, and the best thing to do is avoid it entirely. With that in mind, let's get on our horses. We'd better not worry about saying polite good-byes; we should just get away quickly. There's good reason to escape when there's no mercy to be found anymore.

It is actually Act 2 Scene 3.

This murderous shaft that's shot hath not yet lighted, and our safest way is to avoid the aim. Therefore to horse and let us not be dainty of leave-taking, but shift away. there's warrant in that theft which steals itself when there's no mercy left."

Malcolm means that the violence or action is not yet clear towards why it happened so the best thing to do is to avoid it. This way, you don't waste your time. If you choose to be involved in it and something happens to you, nobody will feel sorry for you because you chose to do it and 'you had it coming'

That's my interpretation.