Explore "Outward Bound" by Oliver Optic on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
The first cutter was manned by her regular crew, who had been trained / with the utmost care to pull together, while Wilton, in the professors' / barge, which was of the same size, had some very indifferent oarsmen. / The runaways had made up their force of such material as they could / obtain, and though all were somewhat accustomed to rowing, they had not / been drilled to work together; they were not the unit of power in / pulling a boat. Shuffles, therefore, had a manifest advantage, and he / was determined to bring back the fugitives.
The second cutter, in charge of Paul Kendall, was cleared away, and, / with Mr. Lowington and Mr. Fluxion on board, left the ship to take part / in the pursuit. The chase promised to be an exciting one, for Wilton and / Monroe were straining every nerve to reach the shore before they were / overtaken. They were making for the nearest land, and having just the / number of hands required to pull the boat, each of them was obliged to / use an oar himself. They had no coxswains, and Wilton, at the bow oar of / the professors' barge, could not see what was ahead, though he kept the / pursuing boats in full view.