In the days of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, life on a steamboat on the Mississippi River was (21) One of the most exciting (22) of that period was a race (23) two of the fastest river boats.
The Natchez had steamed up the river from New Orleans to St. Louis in three days, twenty-one hours, and fifty-eight minutes. John Cannon, (24) of the Robert E. Lee felt sure that he could (25) this time and challenged the captain of the Natchez. (26) his boat light, Captain Cannon (27) no passengers (28) ; he did not (29) the usual goods. Moreover, he had crews with supplies of coal waiting on floats along the river so that the boat would not have to put it to shore for (30) . The race began on June 30,1870. Being lighter than the Natchez, the Lee jumped into an early lead. For three days the race continued, (31) the boats traveling at full steam. They were (32) each other the whole time, (33) short spaces when bends in the river hid one or the other from view. Then only a few hours from its goal, the Natchez (34) a rock and ran aground (搁浅). The Lee steamed proudly into St. Louis in exactly three days, eighteen hours, and thirty minutes after she had left New Orleans. Bell rang, and people called (35) the boat named after the general (36) as an army engineer had prevented the river from changing its course and St. Louis (37) becoming an inland town.
The Lee (38) a good record—one that brought honor to all rivermen. However, the great day of the river steamers was drawing to (39) . The (40) won the passenger and goods business from the river boats. There are boats on the river today. But they are not the white birds that attracted young Samuel Clemens.