nearly six o'clock in the evening
All was ready ; the sailors , once at work again , had , in some measure , recovered their spirits , and were buoyed up with fresh hopes at the slight change in their favour from the decrease of the wind . The two boats were quite large enough to contain the whole of the crew and passengers ; but , as the sailors said among themselves -LRB- proving the kindness of their hearts -RRB- , ` What was to become of those two poor babbies , in an open boat for days and nights , perhaps ? ' Captain Ingram had gone down to Mrs. Templemore , to impart to her their melancholy prospects ; and the mother 's heart , as well as the mother 's voice , echoed the words of the seamen , ` What will become of my poor babes ? ' It was not till nearly six o'clock in the evening that all was ready : the ship was slowly brought to the wind again , and the boats launched over the side . By this time the gale was much abated ; but the vessel was full of water , and was expected soon to go down . -LSB- Illustration : ' _ I 'll cleave to the shoulder the first man who attempts to break into the spirit-room . _ ' -RSB- There is no time in which coolness and determination are more required than in a situation like the one in which we have attempted to describe .