With their spears elevated, and their shields held for protection over their hearts, the knights began slowly and with measured steps to pace round the circle, each watching his opportunity to make an attack on the other. Bertha indeed remarked, with great terror, that her brother was quite unaccustomed to the use of such weapons,--that he moved tottering and awkwardly under the weight of the gigantic shield, and tried laboriously to balance the ponderous javelin; while, on the contrary, the sea-knight played with his as if it had been a mere toy in his right hand. Courage, however, and a quiet enjoyment of the battle, gleamed equally in the eyes of both, and if the looks which they darted at each other could have turned into javelins, they must have both been pierced to the heart. Sometimes one or other would brandish his spear in such manner, that the lookers-on felt convinced that he would now hurl it at his opponent; but this was only intended to force the latter into a hasty attack, or into some incautious movement of his shield. Both resumed again their solemn course round the circle, keeping watch mutually on every gesture. At last, Sir Heerdegen’s spear came suddenly singing through the air; whereupon the knight of the vulture’s wings turned round his gleaming shield like a revolving moon, received the blow right in the middle of his target, and threw back the missile against his adversary. Almost in the same moment his own weapon took flight, and struck with such violence through the border of Sir Heerdegen’s shield, that he was unable to withstand the shock, but fell under his target, and the spear at the same time entering the ground, he could not immediately disengage himself. On the other hand, the sea-knight leapt across like a tiger on his prey, first grasping him by the throat, then confining his arms with one hand, while with the other he seized the hilt of his sword, pulled it out of the sheath, and hurled it away far beyond the limits of the circle.