A description of the farmer’s daughter. The author carried to a market-town, and then to the metropolis. The particulars of his journey.
My mistress had a nine-year-old daughter who was remarkably clever for her age and highly adept at needlework. Together, she and her mother fitted up a doll’s cradle to serve as my bed. For safety, they placed the cradle inside a cabinet drawer and set it on a high shelf to keep me out of the reach of rats. This young girl became my constant companion and primary caretaker. She was incredibly handy; she made me several shirts from the finest linen available—though to me, it felt as coarse as sackcloth—and washed them regularly with her own hands.
More importantly, she acted as my schoolmistress. Whenever I pointed to an object, she would patiently tell me its name in her tongue, so that within a few days, I was able to ask for whatever I required. She gave me the name Grildrig, which means "mannikin" or "tiny man." I owe my survival in that country to her care and affection. I called her Glumdalclitch, or "little nurse," and I would be guilty of great ingratitude if I failed to mention her devotion.
Word soon spread throughout the neighborhood that my master had discovered a strange creature. People heard of a tiny being, no larger than a splacnuck (a local animal), who walked on two legs, spoke a language of his own, and was as gentle as a pet. One day, a neighboring farmer—a man known for being a notorious miser—came to investigate these rumors. I was placed on a table to perform for him. I walked, drew my sword, and welcomed him in his own language, just as my nurse had taught me. This old man, who was quite dim-sighted, put on his spectacles to see me better. To me, his eyes looked like two full moons shining through a window, and I could not help laughing heartily at the sight.
Unfortunately, this miserly friend gave my master some very cold-hearted advice: he suggested that I should be put on public display for money at the next market-day. When Glumdalclitch learned of this plan, she wept with grief and shame. she feared that rude crowds might accidentally squeeze me to death or break my limbs. She also knew how much I valued my dignity and how humiliated I would feel being treated like a common circus attraction. I, however, was less concerned than she was. I maintained a secret hope that I might one day recover my liberty, and I felt that if I ever returned to England, no one could reproach me for a misfortune that even a king would have suffered in my position.
On the next market-day, my master carried me to the neighboring town in a specially designed wooden box. Although the journey was short, it was incredibly exhausting. The horse’s massive strides made the box shake so violently that it felt like being caught in a terrifying storm at sea. Upon arriving at an inn, my master hired a crier to announce the arrival of a "strange creature" that could perform a hundred tricks.
I was placed on a large table in the inn’s main room, with Glumdalclitch standing nearby to assist me. To prevent me from being overwhelmed, my master allowed only thirty people into the room at a time. I walked about, answered questions, and flourished my sword like a fencer. I even used a straw as a pike to demonstrate my military training. That day, I was forced to repeat this exhausting routine twelve times. The strain was nearly insupportable. At one point, a mischievous schoolboy aimed a large hazelnut at my head. It narrowly missed me, but it was so large that it would certainly have killed me if it had struck its mark.
Finding me to be a highly profitable "investment," my master decided to carry me to the most important cities in the kingdom. On August 17, 1703, we set out for the metropolis, Lorbrulgrud, also known as the "Pride of the Universe." The city was situated three thousand miles away. Glumdalclitch rode behind her father, carrying me in a quilted box on her lap. To spare my strength, she often complained of being tired so that we would make frequent stops. During these breaks, she would take me out of the box to give me some fresh air, though she always held me securely by a leading-string.
Our journey lasted ten weeks. We crossed rivers many times broader than the Nile and passed through eighteen large towns. By the time we arrived in the capital, I had become quite proficient in their language. Glumdalclitch had continued my education on the road, using a small book to teach me the alphabet and explain the local religion.
Upon arriving in Lorbrulgrud, my master took a lodging in the city’s principal street and put out advertisements describing my "extraordinary person and talents." He hired a massive room and provided a table sixty feet wide for my performances. I was shown ten times a day to crowds of wondering citizens. Although I was treated with great curiosity, I felt more like a prisoner than a guest, wondering if I would ever escape this life of public spectacle.