oetic character of his
performance, or by the flash of genius, would enchant and overwhelm his
hearers. Instead of this, he found in Spohr a correct teacher, exacting
from the young Norwegian the same cool precision which characterized
his own performance, and quite unable to appreciate the wild, strange
melodies he brought from the land of the North." Spohr was a man of
clock-work mechanism in all his methods and theories--young Ole Bull was
all poetry, romance, and enthusiasm.

At Minden our young violinist met with an adventure not of the
pleasantest sort. He had joined a party of students about to give
a concert at that place, and was persuaded to take the place of the
violinist of the party, who had been rather free in his libations, and
became "a victim of the rosy god." Ole Bull was very warmly applauded at
the concert, and so much nettled was the student whose failure had made
the vacancy for Ole Bull's talent, that the latter received a challenge
to fight a duel, which was promptly accepted. Ole Bull proved that he
could handle a sword as well as a fiddle-bow, for in a few passes he
wounded and disabled his antagonist. He was advised, however, to leave
that locality as soon as possible, and so he returned straight to
Christiania, "feeling as if the very soil of Europe repelled him" (to
use an expression from one of his letters).

Ole Bull remained in Norway for two years, but he felt that he must
bestir himself, and go to the great centers of musical culture if
he would find a proper development and field for the genius which he
believed he possessed. His friends at Christiania idolized him, and were
loath to let him go, but nothing could stay him, so with pilgrim's staff
and violin-case he started on his journey. Scarcely twenty-one years
of age, nearly penniless, with no letters of introduction to people who
could help him, but with boundless hope and resolution, he first
set foot in Paris in 1831. The town was agog over Paganini and Mme.
Malibran, and of course the first impulse of the young artist was to
hear these great people. One night he returned from hearing Malibran,
and went to bed so late that he slept till nearly noon the next day. To
his infinite consternation, he discovered that his landlord had decamped
during the early morning, taking away the household furniture of any
value, and even abstracting the modest trunk which contained Ole Bull's
clothes and his violin. After such an overwhelming ca