seven o'clock in the
morning
Indeed the party had little leisure for thought ; Mr. Frere , eager to prove his ability and energy , was making strenuous exertions to get away , and kept his unlucky ten so hard at work that within a week from the departure of the Ladybird the Osprey was ready for sea . Mrs. Vickers and the child , having watched with some excusable regret the process of demolishing their old home , had settled down in their small cabin in the brig , and on the evening of the 11th of January , Mr. Bates , the pilot , who acted as master , informed the crew that Lieutenant Frere had given orders to weigh anchor at daybreak . At daybreak accordingly the brig set sail , with a light breeze from the south-west , and by three o'clock in the afternoon anchored safely outside the Gates . Unfortunately the wind shifted to the north-west , which caused a heavy swell on the bar , and prudent Mr. Bates , having consideration for Mrs. Vickers and the child , ran back ten miles into Wellington Bay , and anchored there again at seven o'clock in the morning . The tide was running strongly , and the brig rolled a good deal . Mrs. Vickers kept to her cabin , and sent Sylvia to entertain Lieutenant Frere . Sylvia went , but was not entertaining .