The river was on the left. They had her surrounded. She dove in at the first sound of gunfire. Water poured into her gaping mouth. The cold was shocking. Wet clothes and the backpack pulled her into the strong current. Sewage stench assaulted her nose. She stroked and kicked but doubted she could outswim the hail of bullets. The Charles River is formed by eight streams in eastern Massachusetts and flows for about 80 miles before emptying into Boston Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The river was first navigated by Captain John Smith in 1614. When the English explorer presented his map to Prince Charles, the future king of England changed the name from Massachusetts River to honor himself.
