The earth, ruddy like the powder of tobacco, deadened the noise of their steps, and with the edge of their shoes the horses as they walked kicked the fallen fir cones in front of them.
La terre, roussâtre comme de la poudre de tabac, amortissait le bruit des pas; et, du bout de leurs fers, en marchant, les chevaux poussaient devant eux des pommes de pin tombées.