"Oh, if only it would clear up!" sighed Dora. "Nobody will be able to follow the houseboat in such a mist as this."
"Where do you think they will take us, Dora?" questioned Nellie.
"Goodness only knows. Perhaps down the Mississippi, or maybe to the
Gulf of Mexico."
"Oh, Dora, would they dare to do that?" And Nellie's face grew pale.
Dora shrugged her shoulders by way of reply, and for the time being the cousins relapsed into silence. Both were thinking of their mothers and of the Rovers. What had the others said to their strange disappearance?
"It is perfectly dreadful!" cried Nellie, at last, and burst into tears, and Dora followed. The crying appeared to do them some good and after half an hour they became more at ease.
"We must escape if we possibly can, Nellie," said Dora. "We cannot afford to remain a moment longer on this houseboat than is necessary."
"But how are we going to escape? It looks to me as if we were out in the middle of the river."
"That is true. But both of us can row, and there is a small rowboat on board. If we could launch that and get away we might escape."
"Well, I am willing to try it, if you think it can be done. But we must get out of this stateroom first."