twelve o'clock
She had been a bumboat woman for six years , and had made a great deal of money . Indeed , it was reported , that if a _ first lieutenant _ wanted forty or fifty pounds , Mrs Trotter would always lend it to him , without requiring his promissory note . The captain came on board in the evening , having dined with the admiral , and left directions for having all ready for unmooring and heaving short at daylight . The signal was made from the frigate at sunrise , and before twelve o'clock we were all under weigh , and running past St Helen 's with a favourable wind . Our force consisted of the _ Acasta _ frigate , the _ Isis _ ship , sloop , mounting twenty guns , the _ Reindeer _ , eighteen , and our own brig. The convoy amounted to nearly two hundred . Although the wind was fair , and the water smooth , we were more than a week before we made Anholt light , owing _ to _ the bad sailing and inattention of many of the vessels belonging to the convoy . We were constantly employed repeating signals , firing guns , and often sent back to tow up the sternmost vessels .