There was an instant of gleaming breastplates, waving swords, tossing manes, fierce red nostrils opening and shutting, and hoofs pawing the air before us; and then down came the line of muskets, and our bullets smacked up against their armour like the clatter of a hailstorm upon a window.
Pendant un instant, on vit briller des cuirasses, brandir des sabres, des crinières s'agiter, des naseaux rouges s'ouvrir, se fermer avec fureur. Des sabots battirent l'air devant nous.