"Down by the Riverside," Part 2 Summary

Mann rows through the flood as the last light leaves the sky. He must try and navigate trees, houses and other barely visible obstacles, worrying continually that the levee will break. Mann uses smokestacks of a cotton-seed mill to orient himself and plots a route toward town. Rowing against the current is very hard on his back, and his fingers sting. The boat hits a house in the darkness. Figuring out that the building is old man Tom's store, Mann realizes where he is and sets off along Pike's road. They see two yellow-lit windows, and Mann rows toward them, thinking they mean people who can help him.

Mann reaches the window and yells up to it, asking for a phone to call the hospital. The man inside, a white man, Mann notes...