noon
The thing had never left off haunting me , and I was pretty clear now that it did not belong to my South African memories . I am not a superstitious man , but the way that little _ kranz _ clung to my mind made me think it was a warning sent by Providence . I was pretty certain that when I clapped eyes on it I would be in for bad trouble . All morning we travelled up that broad vale , and just before noon it spread out wider , the road dipped to the water 's edge , and I saw before me the white roofs of a town . The snow was deep now , and lay down to the riverside , but the sky had cleared , and against a space of blue heaven some peaks to the south rose glittering like jewels . The arches of a bridge , spanning two forks of the stream , showed in front , and as I slowed down at the bend a sentry 's challenge rang out from a block-house . We had reached the fortress of Erzingjan , the headquarters of a Turkish corps and the gate of Armenia .