Read "Down the River" by Oliver Optic online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
When the explosion occurred, the wind was nearly dead ahead, and we were floating with the current, which was the particular reason why we had come so near being run down by the contestants.
"What's the matter? " asked Flora, alarmed by the noise, but unable to explain the cause of it.