I like the idea that Ben really wanted to see if the island would heal Locke after being shot...if Ben really wanted Locke dead, wouldn't he just shoot him in the head while Locke was lying in the pit bleeding? Seems like he's putting Locke and the island through a test...if Locke dies, that's one more thing out of Ben's way...if the island heals Locke, then Ben's pretty much screwed, and may resort to even more dirty tricks to re-establish his leadership position...