six in the morning
Then , turning towards the orb of day , whose last rays lapped the horizon of the sea , he exclaimed : `` Adieu , sun ! Disappear , thou radiant orb ! rest beneath this open sea , and let a night of six months spread its shadows over my new domains ! '' The next day , the 22nd of March , at six in the morning , preparations for departure were begun . The last gleams of twilight were melting into night . The cold was great , the constellations shone with wonderful intensity . In the zenith glittered that wondrous Southern Cross -- the polar bear of Antarctic regions .