Chapter 2.
A Description of the Farmer's Daughter.
The author is carried into town and then to the city.
My mistress had a daughter of nine years old, and she fixed up her doll's cradle for me to sleep in.
The cradle was put into a small drawer of a cabinet and the cabinet was placed upon a hanging shelf for fear of rats.
This was my bed all the time I stayed with those people.
This young girl was so handy that she soon made me seven shirts and some other linens.
She was also my teacher.
When I pointed to anything, she told me the name of it in her own language.
In a few days, I was able to call for whatever I had a mind to.
She gave me the name Gildrig, meaning mannequin, which the family took up and afterward the whole kingdom.
I called her Glumduglitch, which meant little nurse.
My master had an idea about how to make money off of me.
He carried me to the market day in the next town in a box, bringing my nurse along as well.
My box was closed on every side with holes to let in air and a little door for me to go in and out of.
The girl had been careful to put the quilt of her doll's bed into it, but I was still terribly shaken about in the journey.
We stopped first at a local inn.
After talking with the innkeeper, my master gave notice through the town of a strange creature to be seen who was like a miniature human and could perform a hundred tricks.
That night I was placed upon a table in the largest room of the inn.
My master would only allow thirty people at a time to see me as I walked about on the table.
After paying my respects in their language, I made a toast to their health, drew out my knife and waved it around like a master fencer.
I was shown that day to twelve sets of people doing the same routine over and over.
By the end of the day I was half head with weariness and anger.
My master gave public notice that he would show me again at the next market day.
My master soon found that he could make quite a bit of money by showing me and decided to carry me to the largest cities of the kingdom.
We set out for a city near the middle of the empire, some three thousand miles away from our house.
Glumdalclitch carried me the whole way in a box tied about her waist.
She had lined the box on all sides with the softest cloth she could get and made it as comfortable as possible.
We were ten weeks into our journey and I had been shown in eighteen large towns along the way, besides many villages and private families.
On the 26th of October, we arrived at the city.
My master rented a large room and I was shown ten times a day, to the wonder and satisfaction of all the people.
I could now speak the language fairly well and understood every word that was said to me.
The more money my master made, the more he wanted.
Meanwhile, I had quite lost my appetite and was nearly reduced to a skeleton.
By the time a gentleman came from the court commanding my master to bring me there for the Queen's entertainment, the farmer already thought that I would die soon.
Her Majesty was much delighted with my performance.
I fell on my knees and begged the honor of kissing her foot, but she offered instead her little finger, which I hugged with both my arms.
She asked me questions about my country and my travels, which I answered as clearly as I could.
She then asked my master if he was willing to sell me for a good price.
Thinking I could not live another month.
He was happy enough to part with me and asked for one thousand pieces of gold.
These were ordered for him on the spot.
I then turned to the queen and asked, since I was now Her Majesty's most humble creature, if Glumdaclitch might be allowed to stay and continue to be my nurse and teacher.
Her Majesty agreed to this and easily got the farmer's consent, as he was eager to have his daughter favored at court.
The farmer left, bidding me farewell.
I did not say a word in reply.
