Since they would no longer permit me to herd the goats, I entered into the service of a peasant, a fiery and passionate man, who had married one of my aunts, and for whom I had to herd cows. For in most places in Valais, they have no common herdsboy to mind the cows; rather, whoever has no place in the Alps, to which he can send his cows in summer, has his own little shepherd, who tends them on his own farm. When I had been with him a while, one of my aunts came; she was called Frances, and she wished to send me to my cousin, Mr. Anthony Platter, in order that I might learn writing. This is what they said when they wished to send someone to school. He was at that time no longer in Grenchen, but was now an old man at St. Nicholas, in a village called Gasen. When the farmer, who was called Antony, “an der Habtzucht,” learned of my aunt’s intention, he was much dissatisfied, and said that I would learn nothing, and placed the forefinger of his right hand in the palm of the left and said: “The boy will learn just as much as I can push my finger through.” This I saw and heard. My aunt said: “Oh, who knows? God has not refused him his gifts; he may yet make a pious priest of himself.” She led me then to the gentleman; I was, as near as I can remember, nine or nine and a half years old.
Then things really went terribly for me; then the hard times really began, for the gentleman was a passionate man, and I but an awkward peasant boy. He beat me very severely, often took me by the ears and dragged me on the ground, so that I screamed like a goat that had been stuck with a knife, so that frequently the neighbours cried to him, asking whether he would kill me. I was not with him long. At that time, there came a cousin of mine, who had travelled to the schools at Ulm and Munich; he was a Summermatter, a grandson of my old grandfather. This student was called Paul Summermatter. My friends had told him of me. He promised them that he would take me with him, and would place me in a school in Germany. When I heard this, I fell on my knees and asked God, the Almighty, that he would help me away from the priest, who taught me almost nothing and even beat me without mercy. For I had scarcely learned to sing the smallest bit of the Salve and was obliged to sing for eggs in the village with other children who were also with the priest. Once we were about to celebrate the mass; the other boys sent me into the church for a taper; this I stuck, burning, into my sleeve, and burned myself so that I still have the scar from it.
As Paul now wished to travel again, I was to come to him in Stalden. In Stalden there is a house called “Zum Müllibach”. There lived one called Simon Summermatter, who was my mother’s brother; he was to be my guardian. He gave me a gold florin; I carried this in my hand as far as Stalden, looked at it often on the way, to see whether I still had it, and then gave it to Paul. Thus we went out of the country. On the way, I had to beg here and there for money for myself, and I also had to give some to my Bacchant, Paul. For, on account of my simplicity and country speech, they gave me much.
When we came over the Grimsel Mountain at night to an inn, I saw a tile stove for the first time, and the moon shone on the tiles. Then I thought it was a very large calf. For I saw only two white, shining tiles, which I thought were the eyes. In the morning I saw geese, which I had never seen before. Therefore, when they hissed at me, I thought it was the devil, and fled screaming. At Luzern I saw the first tile roofs, and I was much astonished by the red color. We came thence to Zurich. There Paul awaited some companions, who wished to go with us to Meissen. Meanwhile I went to beg, so that I supported Paul almost entirely; for when I came into an inn, the people liked to hear me speak the Valais dialect and gave to me willingly. At that time, there was in Zurich a certain fellow from Lenk, in Valais; he was a most deceitful man, by the name of Carl; the people thought him an exorcist, for he knew at all times what happened before and afterward. The cardinal knew him well. This Carl once came to me, for we lodged in the same house. He said that if I should allow him to give me one blow on the bare back, he would give me a Zurich sixpence. I permitted myself to be persuaded, so he seized hold of me very firmly, laid me over a chair, and beat me very severely. When I had borne that, he asked me to lend him the sixer back again; he wished to eat with the landlady that night, and could not pay the reckoning. I gave him the sixer; it never came back to me.
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