But there was nothing in the woods except smoke--and the streaming storm shrilling overhead, raining down on them leaves and boughs and splintered sticks.
The belt of woodland was very narrow; already the men could see sunlight on the farther edge, and catch glimpses of fields; and still they ran forward, keeping their alignment as best they might among the trees; and came, very soon, to the wood's edge.

Here they were halted and ordered to lie down again; and they lay there, close to the ground among the dead leaves, while from above living leaves rained on them in never-ending showers, and the wild tempest sped overhead unchecked.
Far out across the fields in the sunshine, looking diminutive as toys in the distance, four cannon puffed smoke toward them.

The Zouaves could see the guns--see even the limbers and caissons behind, and the harnessed teams, and the cannoneers very busily at work in the sunshine.

Then a long low wall of white smoke suddenly appeared along a rail fence in front of the guns, and at the same time the air thickened with bullets storming in all about them.
The Colonel and the Major had run hastily out into the field.

"Get up! Get up!" shouted the company officers.