noon
I tried to walk , but faintness came over me , and I sank back . Then Gabord laid me down , went to the door , and called in two soldiers with a mattress . I was wrapped in my cloak and blankets , laid thereon , and so was borne forth , all covered even to my weak eyes . I was placed in a sleigh , and as the horses sprang away , the clear sleigh-bells rang out , and a gun from the ramparts was fired to give the noon hour , I sank into unconsciousness . Recovering , I found myself lying on a couch , in a large , well-lighted room hung about with pictures and adorned with trophies of the hunt . A wide window faced the foot of the bed where I lay , and through it I could see -- though the light hurt my eyes greatly -- the Levis shore , on the opposite side of the St. Lawrence . I lay and thought , trying to discover where I was .