Bottom and Slough in Frenchman's Bend in The Hamlet (Location)

In the local vernacular, a "bottom" refers to the landscape around a creek or small river. It is usually dense with brush, vines and small trees. Here the "bottom" is the where Mink wanders after killing Houston. It lies between his cabin and the rotting tree, but much of the time Mink is there he is lost or otherwise disoriented, and is between exact locations. He tries to get rid of the gun he used by throwing it into a "slough" in this bottom - that is, a pool of stagnant water - but it is soon discovered there by a Negro who is "grabbling" - fishing with his bare hands - "in that slough" (257).