"But I know you can do it: only you have made the same mistake as all new hands," added Thad, as he brought the boat to her course. "Now you are all right again. It won't do to fool with a boat when the wind is as fresh as it is now. Just move the wheel only an inch or two at a time, till you learn how much it requires." "I see, that, if you turn the wheel only an inch, it has an effect on the head of the boat," said Ben, after he had got the hang of the wheel. "I thought you had to move it at least a foot to produce any effect at all." "If the wind were light, it would be different," added Thad. "The whole thing is balanced, and the movement of the rudder keeps the boat in a sort of equilibrium." "That's a big word," said Archie. "But you all know what it means, though you may not see how it applies to a boat under sail. Suppose I haul in the main-sheet, so that the wind will blow square against it," continued the skipper, suiting the action to the word, till the boat heeled over enough to startle the timid ones. "That takes the pressure off the wheel," said Ben. "Because it checks her headway; and it would upset the boat, for the sail holds the wind instead of getting rid of it." "I don't see how the sail can get rid of the wind, for it is all here," replied Archie. Thad took a large piece of newspaper from his pocket, lifted it as high as he could reach, and then let it go. "Which way did it go?" he asked. "North-east," answered Syl. "Which way is this sloop going?" "South-east." "What is the reason it did not go the way this boat is going?" "Because the wind don't blow this way," replied Archie. "Then, what makes the boat go this way, my lad?" "Because Ben steers it this way." "Correct; but suppose I should rig a sail in the Bouquet, and steer her with all my might, could I make her go as the Goldwing is going?" "Of course not: she has no keel, or next to none." "Correct again. The wind carries the paper in the direction towards which it is blowing. If the breeze struck square against the sail, it would blow the boat over to-day. We trim the sail at an angle, at a slant, with the way the wind blows. The sloop is not forced ahead, as the paper was, by the direct action of the wind." Thad placed the bailing-bucket on the floor of the standing-room, and then with the boat-hook, passed along the side of it, caused the pail to be moved athwart-ships, though the boat-hook was carried fore and aft. "The bucket is moved by the friction of the boat-hook, as the sail is by the friction of the wind against the canvas," said Thad. "If it were not for the keel, the boat would slide off sideways: it would be all leeway, and no headway. With the helm, we keep the several forces balanced." The sloop went into the river; but another hand was sent to the wheel when Ben Sinker had obtained some practical idea of steering, and the lesson was continued. CHAPTER XXIII.