pressure of the engine, and the
tug moved ahead at half speed. Percy was so much astonished that he
could hardly throw over the wheel, and Christy took hold of it himself.

"I don't understand it," said he, as he took hold of the spokes, and
looked ahead to get the course of the boat.

"You will never make a sailor till you mend your ways," added Christy.

"There must be some one in the engine-room," said Percy.

"Of course there is."

"Why didn't you say so, then? I did not suppose the boat could go ahead
while you were up here."

"I told you to ring the gong, didn't I?"

"What was the use of ringing it when you were in the pilot-house?"

"What was the use of ringing it when I did?" demanded Christy, who had
but little patience with this kind of a sailor.

"You knew there was some one in the engine-room."

"But the engine would have started just the same if you had rung the
gong."

"Well, I didn't know it; and if you had only said you had an engineer,
I should have understood it."

"You will never make a sailor, as I said before," added Christy.

"What is the reason I won't?"

"Because you don't obey orders, and that is the first and only business
of a sailor."

"If you had only told me, it would have been all right."

"If the captain, in an emergency, should tell you to port the helm, you
could not obey the order till he had explained why it was given; and by
that time the ship might go to the bottom. I can't trust you with the
wheel if you don't do better than you have; for I have no time to
explain what I am about, and I should not do it if I had."

"It would not have taken over half an hour to tell me there was an
engineer in the engine-room," growled Percy.

"That is not the way to do things on board of a vessel, and I object to
the method. I don't know what there is before us, and I don't mean to
give an order which is not likely to be obeyed till I have explained its
meaning."

"I will do as you say, Christy," said Percy rather doggedly. "Did
Spikeley agree to run the engine?"

"No, he did not; he is locked up in the forecastle. Captain Pecklar is
at the engine; but he is all ready to take the wheel when I say the
word."

"I can keep the wheel, for I think I understand it very well now."

"I did not wish to take you away from the wheel, for I saw that you
liked the work; and I said so to Captain Pecklar. If you have learned
the first lesson a sailor has to get through his head, all r