He whirled the skiff half about to the right, and threw all his strength against the oars.

The cove was quite wide, and the nearest point which he must go around a good distance away.
Had he been more of a sailor, he would have gone in the other direction for the opposite point, and thus had the wind on his pursuers.

As it was, the _Dazzler_ had a beam wind in which to overtake him.
It was nip and tuck for a while.

The breeze was light and not very steady, so sometimes he gained and sometimes they.

Once it freshened till the sloop was within a hundred yards of him, and then it dropped suddenly flat, the _Dazzler's_ big mainsail flapping idly from side to side.
"Ah! you steal ze skiff, eh ?" French Pete howled at him, running into the cabin for his rifle.