If Fatia Negra had been one of God's ordinary creatures, he must have been writhing the next moment with crushed limbs on the ground beneath Juon's knee; but at the very instant in which Juon caught hold of one hand, the robber faced about and seizing the herdsman round the body began to wrestle with him.
"The moon flooded the valley with its light; the whole course of the struggle was plainly visible.
"As soon as Juon Tare perceived that his antagonist was foolhardy enough to try a fall with him, he complacently allowed his body to be encircled and calmly murmured: 'Ho, ho! then you would wrestle with me, eh, Fatia Negra! Very well, be it so!' "Then he also quietly encircled the trunk of his opponent with those terrible arms of his, which had shown themselves capable on one occasion of throttling a bear, and prepared to crush his adversary.
"And thus began an awful struggle, the mere remembrance of which is a horror.
"There is nothing more terrible than when two men struggle for life or death with their bare hands.
"Juon Tare's tremendous strength was unable to crush Fatia Negra.

The herdsman might perhaps have been a little exhausted by his swift run, but the robber was skilful and opposed a steel-like elasticity to the herdsman's massive weight.
"Now the one, now the other was forced down upon his knee, only to bound instantly back again.

The grass was rooted up by their stamping feet.
Tightly embraced, with straining shoulders, with their fists tearing at each other's bodies, their faces were pressed so closely together that the two heads seemed but one.
"Now and then they would pause for an instant to take breath and at such times would gasp out short, fierce words.
"'Who are you ?' growled Juon.

'Who are you that you can resist the arm of Juon Tare?
Who are you that Juon Tare cannot put to silence ?' "'What is it you want, you fool ?' the robber gasped back.

'Has that two hundred ducats, the price set on my head, tempted you?
Is that why you want to catch me?
Let me go, and I will give you five hundred.' "'I will not let you go.