the
one that had brought "Mis' Horrel" back, must have passed each other on
the way. They did not send Primus to the hotel, because "Marse Horrel,"
he "'spizes monstons fer ter hev de hotel fokes roun';" they evidently
stood in awe of anything "Marse Horrel" should "'spize." And they did
not send Primus up the Juana, because "Prime, he sech a borned fool,"
they "dassent" trust only to that. So not knowing what else to do, they
had sent him to East Angels for orders; of course they had no idea that
"Mis' Horrel" was on her way back.

Where were the two men? Dodd had been gone a week, "Marse Horrel" had
dismissed him; he said he was so well now that he did not need the two.
And Elliot? "Marse Horrel" had sent him "day befo' yesserday" up the
river on an "arr'nd," they did not know what; he was to return, they did
not know when.

"Something has happened to Lanse," said Margaret, drawing Winthrop away
a few paces when at last she had extracted these facts from the mass of
confusing repetitions, ejaculations, and long, unintelligible phrases in
which Dinah and Rose had enveloped them. The little old creatures, who
were of exactly the same height, wore scarlet handkerchiefs bound round
their heads in the shape of high cones; as they told their story,
standing close together, their skinny hands clasped upon their breasts,
their great eyes rolling, they might have been two African witches, just
arrived on broomsticks from the Cameroons.

"The nearest house is the hotel," said Winthrop; "of course that boat is
beyond call." But there was a chance that it might not be, and he
hurried down to the landing; Margaret followed.

There was no sound of oars. He hailed loudly, once, twice; no one
answered. "I shall have to go to the hotel myself," he said.

"That would take too long, it's five miles; it would be at least two
hours before a boat and men from there could get here, and in that two
hours you could find Lanse yourself, and bring him in."

"You speak as though you knew where he was."

"So I do, he is in the Monnlungs swamp. For a long while he has been in
the habit of going up there every day; I have been with him a number of
times, that is, I have followed in the larger boat with one of the men
to row. Lanse is there now, and something has happened to him; either
the canoe has been wrecked, or else he has hurt himself in some way so
that he can't paddle; the great thing is to get him in before the storm
breaks; we ca