The duel between the respective agents of the Schafhausen and Herxheimer families begins. Reinhard von Müsel, sensing a malicious intent from Herxheimer's agent, decides to heed Siegfried Kircheis's advice of leaping sideways the moment the first shot is fired; a technically legal, but frowned upon, move. Both sides thus miss their first shots. In their second shot, Reinhard manages to hit Herxheimer's agent on his right shoulder, while the latter hit Reinhard's left arm. Reinhard realises that had he not used his left arm as a stabiliser to his right hand, the bullet would have hit his chest and killed him.
