"What's the difference?" asked Frank.
"It's easy to remember, once you've heard it," said Silas. "A land-lubber wheel turns in the same direction you want the boat to steer. For instance, if you want to go to the left you twist the wheel toward your left hand, and if you want to go to the right you twist it to the right.
"But a sea wheel is just the opposite from this. With that, if you want your boat to go to the left, you turn the wheel to the right, and if you want to go to the right you twist the wheel to the left."
"I should think you'd get all twisted up!" exclaimed Sammy.
"Well, you might, at first, but once you've learned to use a sea wheel you won't want any other," went on Silas. "I'm not saying but what it might not have been better at the start, for every boat to have a wheel you could turn in the direction you wanted to go, but as long as they have sea wheels you might as well learn that way. Now we'll begin."
In turn he let the boys handle the wheel, sending the boat this way and that, until they found how quickly the Skip responded to her rudder.
At first each of the lads got a little confused, and turned the wheel the wrong way. But soon they remembered, and when Silas, pretending he was the captain, ordered them to go to the right or left they did do it without any trouble.
They passed several other boats from time to time, and Silas showed how to get by them without getting too far out of the channel, or without passing too close to the other craft. There was a compressed air whistle on the Skip and the boys took great delight in blowing this.
"It's a heap more fun on a trip like this than trailing that queer old Professor Watson!" exclaimed Bob.
"That's right," said Frank. "I don't believe we'll bother with him any more."