James Stuart
the Erotic Historian

The Country Manor

Chapter 24
Abdul's Fortress

Finding where the town, Ashia, which John had heard contained Abdul el Maskret's home, was easy enough, though Sam was careful not to mention why he wanted to know when he obtained directions from a local guide. He had learnt from hard experience to be careful with one's enquires. The town they seeked turned out to be two days ride from the city, and was fortunately easy enough to find without a guide, which pleased Sam, as he now trusted no one he didn't know. They still needed transport, so he purchased six horses, plus a couple of pack mules for their luggage. He was certain they would be quicker and less vulnerable on horseback compared to a wagon. Fortunately riding skills was not something the group lacked. Both he and his two eldest sons were competent riders, as was Pascal, whose father back home in France had run a large stable. Yet these were mere amateurs in comparison to Henry, as a former cavalry officer, and Frank, who performed a number of his wild west feats on the back of a horse. Only Agi was completely devoid of such skills, a ride on the back of a mule being the sum total of his equestrian experience. Thus it was agreed he would ride behind Frank, the American obtaining the biggest and strongest of the six horses. After buying John and Pascal some proper clothing, as well as obtaining some supplies, they left Izmir, and rode out on their journey.

Stopping at an inn over night, the little group covered the two days journey without incident, and as the sun was falling on the second day, they sighted their destination in the distance. The town was quite unremarkable, and pretty small, but it was not this which drew their attention, but a large building some half a mile away from it. Sam had come to the conclusion that Abdul was certainly very wealthy, and had expected his home to be appropriately large and grand, but he had not reckoned on a castle. Not a small one by any means either, but a huge palace type building enclosed by a high wall. The unwelcoming sight of guards patrolling the walls could be made out from where they were observing.

"Jesus, it appears the chap's got himself a private army," Sam gasped.

"Looks like it," Frank added, as he observed the walls with the aid of some binoculars. "I guess that rules out a frontal assault."

"Arrh, if only I still had me regiment of Scot Grey's," Henry commented. "I'd soon cut them down to size."

"Hah, you're not at Balaclava now, and it will take more than a brave cavalry charge to force a way into that place," Sam said with a grin at his old friend.

Sam was referring to Henry's participation in the famous battle of Balaclava, which had taken place in 1854 during the Crimean War. Henry had been a junior officer with the Scottish Grey's at the time, and it was this regiment who played a major role in the Charge of the Heavy Brigade during the battle. This particular charge was not nearly as well known as the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade, which occurred a few hours later in the same battle. It lesser known status was probably because the former was a success, rather than the glorious failure that followed it. Like that of the light, the Charge of the Heavy Brigade was a militarily inadvisable manoeuvre, being an uphill charge against a far greater force of Russian Cavalry. Fortunately in this fight, the skill and bravery of the British soldiers had compensated for the incompetence of their leaders. The important consequence of Henry being in the Heavy Charge, rather than that of the Light, was that he was here now to help out his friends, rather than coming to an early end blasted apart by Russian artillery, a fate that befell the majority of the men in the Light Brigade.

The group continued on their way towards the village, observing the castle as they got closer, trying to spot any weak points where they might be able to get inside, but no where obvious could be seen. Nightfall was closing in as they rode into the town itself, and they quickly located the place's sole inn. Booking a couple of large rooms with four beds in each, the saddle tired group made their way to the inn's main lounge to get some food. Sam had given a false name when he had reserved the rooms, being determined that this time no one would be forewarned of their arrival. The innkeeper spoke no English at all, so Agi's translation skills proved once more to be invaluable. Finding themselves a table tucked away in a corner of the lounge, the group started discussing their options, and what sort of reconnaissance and intelligence gathering they could safely carry out over the next day or so. There were a number of other dinners in the room, so they kept their talk quiet.

As they were finishing the final course of the meal, the group was astonished to see their table being approached by three men, who had just finished dinning nearby. The lead man was quiet elderly, was dressed in a Western style suit, and looked European. The two other men stood behind him, and were dressed in sombre Arabian style clothing, with turbans on their heads. They had dark skin, and small piercing eyes that seemed to watch the group before them with suspicion. Having curving scimitars by their sides, it seemed little doubt that they formed the first man's bodyguard.

"I say, sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help hearing that you chaps spoke English, I hadn't expected to meet any fellow countrymen out herer." The posh English accent that the man spoke with left them in little doubt as to his nationality, or his aristocratic upbringing. All the same, as much of a coincidence it was meeting another Englishman in such a remote spot, Sam and his group were busy discussing important matters, and were keen that the newcomer would piss off and leave them alone. Frank was about to say as much, when the new man spoke.

"Guess you lot are off to Abdul's party tomorrow night as well? Can't see why else you would be in this God forsaken hole."

Clearly Sam and the others had no idea what the man was talking about, knowing nothing about any party, and certainly having not received an invitation. It was interesting news, and Sam thought fast.

"Yes of course we are," he replied. "Please take a seat."

A puzzled look fell over Frank at Sam's bare face lie, but he soon realised what his colleague was up to, so he simply added.

"Would you care for a drink sir, this place has a kind of whiskey that is just about drinkable."

The new man accepted, and sat down, but his two guards remained standing behind their employer.

"My name is Sir Douglas Quentin Boquist de Bellaire, my family owns a small trading company on the coast, and I have many dealings with Adbul el Maskeret. I must say, I was delighted to hear the splendid fellow was back, he has been away for a while. I was even happier when I received an invitation to his welcome home party, I have attended a party of his before, and it is a most enjoyable occasion."

The jolly old man paused, whilst he looked around the table, and seemed to spend a while examining the four youngsters in Sam's little group.

"I say, I don't recall Abdul asking us to bring along our own boys. Still, they are a set of fine ones you have here, and the more the merrier I say, what."

Sam guessed what he was getting at, and implying from what the man had said, it was obvious the nature of the entertainment the host would be laying on. Not that this surprised Sam, given the trouble the Turk had gone to in obtaining a sizeable stock of boys. As the evening continued, Sam was content to let Sir Douglas do most of the talking, something the posh old man was quite happy to do. Most of his ramblings were of little value, but he gave them a little insight into life within Abdul's palace, and how the man was a frequent entertainer, that liked to build up a circle of rich and powerful friends. Douglas explained that Abdul would exploit the influence and patronage of such acquaintances to build on his own, not inconsiderable wealth.

As Sam watched the man, he noticed that Sir Douglas bore more than a passing resemblance to Henry, the pair having the same kindly brown eyes, rosy cheeks and plump face. The old colonel's chin was covered in his normal thick beard, whilst Sir Douglas was cleanly shaven. However, with a little imagination, the two could pass as brothers. At first the fact seemed irrelevant, but then a plan began to formulate within Sam's mind. The idea seemed crazy to start with, but slowly it grew on him, as he realised that meeting Sir Douglas could provide the lucky break they required. Sam looked over at Frank, noticing that the American was also glancing between Henry and Sir Douglas, and he wondered if the other man was thinking up the same plan. His suspicions were confirmed when Frank said.

"Sir Douglas, your glass is empty, care for another drink?"

"Splendid idea my man," he replied.

Inviting Sir Douglas back to their own room on the promise of a sneak preview of the charms of the four boys, it had been an easy task to over power the half-drunken old man. His two guards were more troublesome, but as Frank pulled out his guns, they froze still. One started to shout out, and the American was forced to knock him out with a blow from the butt of his revolver. With the three men safely tired and gagged within one of their own rooms, the group starting to discuss the details of a daring plan.

The core of the plan involved Henry impersonating the unfortunate Sir Douglas and attending the party the following evening, hopefully to find Billy and Jamie. Sam and Frank would pose as his bodyguards. The Scot was not entirely convinced with the idea, claiming he did not look at all like the old aristocrat, and if he met anyone who knew Sir Douglas, including Abdul himself, they would see straight through the ruse. Sam said this was a risk they would have to take, and if it came to it, Henry would have to claim he was Douglas' brother, and had been sent to attend instead, on account of his brother having fallen ill. It also meant that Henry would have to try and hide his Scottish accent as much as possible, and try to emulate a posh English voice, something Henry claimed was not easy, but he would try his best.

Fortunately they had the whole of the following day to prepare for the mission ahead. Agi went into town and managed to purchase some boot polish, and other cosmetics they could use to darken Sam's and Frank's faces and hands, to make them look more like the Arabian bodyguards. The innkeeper was paid the fees Sir Douglas owed for his room, Sam informing him that the trio had left very early, and had provided him with the funds to cover the bill. The innkeeper did not seem worried by this, being obviously solely concerned with getting his money. This meant that Sir Douglas and his men could be safely kept as prisoners for a few days. The four boys had great fun dressing Henry up in Sir Douglas' fine suit, and Frank and Sam in the bodyguard's robes. They also aided with applying the necessary makeup to the two younger men. Later on, they helped Henry practice his posh English accent, which soon sent both John and Charles in to hysterics of laughter. The biggest shriek of the evening came from Henry, when Sam approached the old man with his razor in his hand. Henry's beloved bushy beard would have to go, so his chin would be as smooth as that of Sir Douglas. It took a lot of persuading before the Scot permitted his friend to carry out the operation.

As the hour approached for the small group to set out, the boys' attentions were turned to asking Sam what they would be doing to aid the rescue. On this Sam was absolutely firm, they would have no role at all. The entire enterprise was much too risky for them to be involved. It had originally been Sam's intention that Henry would stay behind to look after the children, whilst himself and Frank carried out any rescue attempt. Given the plan they had come up with, that was clearly impossible now, so Sam was forced to put John in charge, with strict instructions that they were to leave this place if the three men did not emerge the following day. He added that the boys were to head straight for Istanbul, to inform the British consulate, and to have the British diplomats there put them on a boat home. Not surprisingly the four youngsters, Charles and John in particular, complained endlessly at this passive role, claiming they wanted to help also, but Sam was unmoved. He sent the lot of them to the other room, where they would remain till the next morning. He told them he would organise that their supper was sent to their room.

After the boys had left, both Henry and Frank expressed their reservation that the boys would actually obediently sit out the whole plan. Both were particularly concerned about Charles, the boy was undoubtedly smart, but also very headstrong, and was clearly bitterly disappointed at playing no part in getting his little brother and friend back. Sam pointed out that he was well aware of the problem, but had a plan of his own to overcome it. Half an hour later, as the trio was about to set out, Frank and Henry got to see what Sam had done. As they called on the four boys, they were astonished to see the children laid out on their beds asleep, which given the early hour, seemed rather strange. A sly smile passed over Sam's lips as he looked down on them.

"I added a sleeping drug to their tea, it should keep them knocked out for a number of hours now." As sneaky as the plan was, both the other two men agreed it was for the best, and closing the door behind them, they all set off for what was undoubtedly an even riskier task than getting John back from Madir. They could only hope things would go more smoothly this time.

It would have been easy to walk the half-mile between the town and Abdul's castle, but they decided they would look more in place arriving on horseback. They checked Sir Douglas' invitation for when the party was supposed to start, and they decided to arrive a good hour or so late. This way, things should be in full swing on their arrival, and thus there would be less chance of Henry being forced to encounter anyone that knew the man he was impersonating. In addition, with everyone's attention occupied by the entertainment that the host was undoubtedly lying on, it would give all three of them a chance to hunt for Billy and Jamie.

On reaching the main gate of the castle, they found it to be wide open, with a handful of guards standing around outside. The men looked bored, and after a cursory glance at the threesome, waved them through without bothering to check their invitation. After they had passed under the main gate, a couple of young stable hands ran over to take the men's horses. As they dismounted, Sam had a good look at the two boys, who looked to be in their early teens. He wondered if the pair were part of Abdul's large harem, but from their lowly dress he guessed they were just local boys that had been hired.

The group struck off towards the main building. As they walked, Sam took in the splendour of the palace the Turk had as a home. It really was huge, far bigger than the Manor Sam lived in back in England. His opponent was certainly a man that liked to live in luxury.

At the entrance to the palace they met a few more guards, and these looked at the new arrivals with more interest. Henry was in front, with Sam and Frank close behind. The two younger men were heavily wrapped up in the flowing robes they had removed from Sir Douglas' bodyguards. They had the men's turbans on their heads, and to further disguise their western features, they also wore a scarf so it partially obscured their face.

The guards challenged Henry, and since he did not understand what they had said, he simply handed over the invitation. They checked it thoroughly, then started consulting a list they had of their own. Despite the tenseness and danger of the situation, Henry could not help admiring the fine uniforms Abdul's soldiers were wearing. They were not up to the standard of the full military dress of a soldier in the British Army, but they were still praiseworthy, consisting of jet-black tunics and trousers, with finely woven silver trimmings on the sleeves and shoulders. The men wore blue and silver hat, with an elaborate motif sown to the front. A mean looking scimitar held in a decorated leather scabbard was strapped to their side. Henry doubted this was their usual uniform, and it was likely that they normally carried rifles. However it appeared that for the party Abdul wanted his men to look the part as well.

The guards finished checking, and said something to Henry. The old Scot simply nodded, hoping it was not important, and then the soldiers indicated that he could pass through. The three men had hardly gone 10 yards down the entrance hall when some wild shouting broke out behind them. They froze in their tracks, spinning round to see three of the guards coming in after them, yelling away and pointing at Sam and Frank. The Englishman and the American were both rather alarmed, and started feeling amongst their clothes to locate their revolvers. Things could have turned nasty, but fortunately one of the guards realised that neither Henry, nor his bodyguards, could understand what they were saying. He knew the man he thought was Sir Douglas was English, so using the few words he knew, he said.

"You in, men here", and he pointed at a side corridor immediately inside the main entrance. Sam realised what the men were getting at, and it was a nasty shock. He had assumed Henry would be permitted to keep his bodyguards with him, but he could see now that had been wishful thinking. Abdul had clearly only wanted his own armed men inside, not those of whose loyalty were not to himself. Unable to exchange even a last few words with Henry without risking blowing their cover, Sam and Frank reluctantly headed off to where the guards indicated they should go. One of the guards followed them as an escort, and as they left, Sam had a last desperate look at Henry. The poor old man was on his own now, whatever could be done, rested solely in his hands.

The two remaining guards were discussing the sword swinging at Henry's side, and were wondering if the guest should be permitted to keep it. The colonel's treasured sword was the only thing on him that was not Sir Douglas', Sam having permitted him to have it on the grounds it could come in handy. The black clad guards came to the conclusion that the old man was harmless, and joking he might need it as a walking stick, permitted Henry to continue on inside.

It was a long grand entranceway, and at the end a manservant led Henry down a further winding corridor. Stripped of his younger, and better armed companions, lesser men than Henry would have quaked as they were being taken deeper into Abdul's home. However a lifetime as a professional soldier had given the old Scot unswerving courage, and no fear showed on his face as he followed the servant.

The ever-growing sound of music was a sign to the Colonel that he was getting close, and as he turned the corner he entered into a very large hall. The huge room was lavishly decorated. Its high walls stretching up in the distance, to be capped by a curving roof made from oak. Numerous marble pillars ran around the edge of the place, holding up a wide balcony that circumvented the chamber at some 20 feet from the ground. This magnificent hall would have been the pride of many an English aristocratic mansion, but for all its grandeur, it was not the room that took Henry's attention, as what was occurring within it.

It was clear at a single glance that the party was not only in full swing, but had already degenerated into what could only be described as a mass orgy. In the circumstances it was difficult to tell exactly how many people were crammed into that room, but Henry guessed there must be two to three hundred. A layer of cushions, forming a kind of huge bed covered the centre of the room. On this, standing, sitting, laying, or in any other of a number of positions, were a large number of male guests, and probably an equivalent number of boys entertaining them. The majority of the men were still dressed, though some had pulled away enough clothing to release their swollen erections. If the guests present were still reasonably well attired, the same could not be said of the boys. Regardless of their age, all the boys were dressed identically, or at the least had started the proceedings so. A short, open shirt, that covered the boys' upper torso from the belly button up, was the first piece of their costume. It was made from a thin golden silk, and was decorated at the back with an image of a small nude boy sucking the penis of a male satyr. The second part of the children's garment, consisted of a thin strip of yellow cloth, which formed a loop round their waist, before dropping down to cover their genitals, passing through the legs, up along the crack of their butt, before being tied to the waist loop. Anyone that had visited the Far East would have seen that the lower part of the costume bore some resemblance to the garment worn by Japanese Sumo wrestlers. Needless to say, it covered almost nothing of the boys' smooth young bottoms. Skimpy as the costume was, it had still proved to be too much for some guests, and most of the youngsters had already lost the low part of their clothing. A number had had their shirts ripped off as well, and were left completely naked.

The sexual activity of the group in the centre of the room, consisted for the most part in simple petting and kissing, but a handful of the men were being treated to a blow job from their boy companion, and one young lad was riding the prick of another. Those engaged in more leisurely activities, were sometimes chatting with a fellow guest, or were enjoying some of the food or drink which yet more boys were running around serving.

Further down the hall, was another, smaller group of men, also being entertained by the inevitable batch of nude and semi-nude boys. This group lay amongst more elaborate, red cushions, with a golden trim. These men were engaged in earnest conversation, and were doing little more than toying with the pretty love things scattered amongst them. In the centre of the group, Henry spotted a Turkish Gentleman, dressed in elaborate purple robes, as if he was the Roman Emperor himself. The old Colonel wondered if it could be Abdul talking with the more distinguished of his guests. Although Henry had actually been at the party in the Manor when Abdul had offered to buy the squires sons, he himself had paid little attention to the Turk, so was unsure if the purple robed man was he. In any case, it seemed a good bet, and Henry decided to steer clear of this group. It seemed unlikely that Abdul would remember the Scot, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

The two groups lounging within the hall were not the only areas of activity in the room. Located underneath the balcony were a handful of areas that had been raised slightly from the main floor by the placement of a low platform. Upon these, like they were mini-stages, a number of characters were acting out various sexual or erotic acts, purely for the visual entertainment of the guests. One or two of the stages were partially obscured by men standing in front of them to get a closer look, and one in the far corner had gathered such a crowd Henry could see nothing of it at all.

As exciting as the entire room was to an old boy lover like Henry, he had not forgotten why he was here, and what he had to do. His task was to try and locate Billy and Jamie, and as he had a better memory for boys than men, theirs were two pretty faces he knew he would not mistake. However, whilst age had done little to degrade the colonel's memory, the same could not be said of his eyesight. Given the size of the room, Henry would not have easily spotted one of the boys he seeked, even had they been there. The problem was not helped by the fact that many boys were obscured within the sprawling group in the centre, or had they face buried deep within the crotch of some happy looking man.

Henry thus decided to wander around for a closer inspection. It seemed like a good idea to inspect the stages that were scattered round the edge first. Since they were intended for the admiration of the guests, it would not look at all suspicious if Henry went round for precisely this purpose.

The closest stage to Henry was located along one of the shorter walls of the rectangular hall. The entranceway he had arrived in was almost in the corner of the room, and he only needed to walk about 20 feet to reach his first target. Henry intended to go round the hall looking at the stages in an anti-clockwise direction. At the first stage, there was no one else standing close to admire the pretty scene upon it, which Henry thought was a shame, as there was no denying the beauty of the two young actors. It was a pair of boys, both completely nude, stood in a small pool of water. The children looked to be some 11 or 12 years of age, had short blond hair, and were so alike they had to be twins. From their general features, pale skin, and sparkling blue eyes, it was obvious the boys were European, and Henry wondered if they might be part of the group Abdul had kidnapped from England. A fine spray of water was falling from a device attached to the roof of the balcony, the vapour being so thin and well spread it was almost as if the two boys were engulfed in a light mist. Their water covered bodies glistened in the bright light of the room, enhancing their beauty and the eroticism of the scene. The boys sprung into action when they saw they had acquired an audience, and begun a steady erotic dance, rubbing their soft bodies against one another as they twisted round.

A low rope was tied between the pillars as a kind of fence round the stage, much like in an art gallery to keep the visitors away from a particularly famous painting. Clearly Abdul wanted to keep his guests' hands off the gorgeous pair, though Henry did not know whether this was because they were for him alone, or he simply wanted to avoid the visitors from interrupting the exhibit. Either way, the intention was ready to be enforced by the presence of a black clad guard stood on each side of the stage, discretely hidden behind one of the pillows. The pair were looking rather frustrated, being able to watch all the wild scenes taking place within the room, but unable to take part themselves.

After a few minutes spent admiring the boys, Henry had gained a throbbing erection, but nothing so far that would help him help find Billy or Jamie, if they were in fact within the palace. He decided to move onto the next stage, which was located part way up one of the long walls. This act had a small audience present, and was also in easier viewing distance for the main group in the centre.

The actions taking place on this stage made the last scene Henry had viewed look positively tranquil. Here the platform was occupied by six figures, two youngsters, a couple of years older than the twins he had just seen, plus four men, all well built Negroids. Like in the last scene, all the actors were nude, and were divided into two groups, each with a boy and two men. The boys were on their hands and knees, legs well spread out to accommodate one of the men behind him, who was kneeling between the boy's legs as he shoved his penis deep into the youngster's behind. The other man was at the front of the boy, using the kid's mouth in the same way as his colleague was using the boy's ass. Both men had impressively sized erections, and the two plucky boys they were using were able to take both of their respective men up their orifices to the very root. As he watched for a short while, Henry noticed that the two men were timing their strokes, so that as one pushed in, the other was simultaneously pulling out. Neither man pulled out completely, always leaving the head of his cock just inside. This gave the highly unusual illusion, no doubt intended, that the penises of the two men were somehow joint, and that an entire pole was passing through the boy, being pushed back and forth by the movements of the men. Looking behind the six actors, Henry spotted four more African men resting in the background. He had little doubt that these four would at some time take the place of those currently ploughing the two boys' mouths and asses. This was a sensible backup, as clearly no men were capable of staying erect throughout the time the party would last. The old Scot saw no replacements for the two boys, who seemed destined to spend the entire evening with a long pole shoved deep down their throat and imbedded into their anus.

Of course neither of the boys were those Henry seeked, being both somewhat older, as well as having different hair and skin colour. From the brief look at their faces he had, between the time it was not buried in his mouth fucker's crotch, the Colonel thought the boys looked either Turkish or Arabian. Henry was actually pleased that it was neither Billy nor Jamie performing in this show, and moved on to see if they were part of the next.

It took the old man a few seconds to work out what was going on in here. He was confronted by the sight of a pile of writhing young bodies, and at first Henry could not tell exactly how many boys were part of it. The participants were engaging in a kind of wrestling match, their slim young limbs flying in all directions as each struggled for position, or dived back into the mass. The bodies of the naked boys were covered in body oil, causing them to slip and slid against each other as they wrestled. Frequently the legs of one of the boys, would be split so wide that any onlooker would be treated to a very detailed view of his delightful buttocks, including the small pink anus hidden within it. Henry eventually determined that there was five boys of mixed ages wrestling on the stage, and for a second his heart leapt when he saw a mob of blond hair momentarily trying to struggle out from the bottom of the pile. However, when he finally got a good look at the face belonging to that boy, it proved to be neither that of Billy or Jamie.

The third and final stage located along that same wall, held what was perhaps the most bizarre looking act Henry had seen up to that point. A naked teenager was bound to a wooden tripod, his arms stretched high over his head, and his feet only just touching the ground. The tightly stretched muscles of the well-built boy rippled along his back and legs. To the rear of the boy, was a tall muscular man, stripped to the waist. He wore black trousers, and had a black leather mask over his head. The man had more than a passing resemblance to a medieval torturer, and this fact was reinforced by the presence of a black handled whip hanging from his right hand. However the fearful appearance was somewhat lessened by the nature of the strands that armed the whip. Instead of the normal harsh leather strands, wide bands of soft white cloth where attached to it. Every 20 seconds or so, the man lashed down on the back or buttocks of the bound boy, who would then writhe around in simulated pain. Given the softness of the weapon, and the fact that the man hit him quite lightly, it was plain that the boy was in no real pain. All the same, his buttocks were showing signs of turning red, as given the number of lashes he had received, even light taps would add up.

The two principal actors were not the only people present at this strange scene. Kneeling in front of the teenager, was a very young boy, also nude, who was happily sucking on the older boy's erection. The sight of the man whipping, the teenager struggling, and the little boy sucking, added up to a particularly odd scene, one that Henry stood watching longer than was necessary for the conduct of his search. As he was leaving, he noticed an array of items hanging on the wall behind the 'torturer'. These consisted of real whips, canes, birches, and even a cat-o-nine tails. Henry hoped these were for display only, and would not come into use later in the evening.

To reach the next stage, the Colonel crossed over to the opposite wall, passing through the gap between the main group of revellers, and the small party he assumed contained Abdul. There were no acts taking place along the wall behind the small group, so Henry was only left to check the three acts along the other longer wall. The first he came to, was the one that he had seen earlier with a large crowd round it. This was still the case, with quite a bit of shouting and cheering going on amongst the audience as well. Henry decided to skip this one for the moment, and check out the other two first.

The first of these, resembled in part the one he had just departed. The principal actor of this scene was also bound, like the teenager being whipped, only this boy was much younger, and was tied horizontally on a low table. The youngster was bound face up, spread-eagled, his hands and feet attached by strips of cloth to each of the table legs. The torturers of this boy, were not large men, like the teenager's had been, but two boys of a similar age to the one tied to the table, all three being between 10 and 12 years of age. None of the boys had a stitch on, but this was hardly unusual, as so far the adult torturer had been the only one of all the stage actors that had not been completely nude. The two young torturers were not armed with whips, like the adult had been, but long white feathers, which they were using to tickle the unfortunate victim on the table. Not surprisingly, he was wriggling around in a vain attempt to avoid the attentions of the feathers, the child's long brown hair falling around his face as his head trashed from side to side. The two torturers knew what they were doing, and were attacking every part of their victim's body, particularly his feet, his ribs, and under his arms.

In normal circumstances one would have expected to have heard a torrent of laughter from the tickle victim, but this was not the case here, as the unfortunate boy was gagged. Whoever had devised this little scene, had obviously wanted to ensure the guests were not disturbed by the boy's laughs. Tickling young boys was one of Henry's favourite past times, but he could not help feeling sorry for this youngster. He normally subjected a willing victim to just a few minutes of tickles, but this poor boy looked like having to endure a few hours of such torment. However, Henry noticed the reddened wrists and ankles of the two tickle torturers, and it seemed clear that after a certain space of time the children would swap round, so that one of the young torturers would in his turn become the victim. It was a clever tactic, as it ensured a freshly released victim would be eager to exact his revenge on one of his tormentors. Henry watched a little longer, then moved on to the final stage, completing the circuit of the hall he had started when he first came in.

The final scene was one of simple animalistic sex. There was five boys of mixed ages on the stage, naked as usual, plus a thin odd looking man, who was fully clothed, sat right at the back taking no part in the actual acts. Henry guessed his role was simply to choreograph which positions the boys were to adopt next. At this moment they had formed what can only be described as a chain fuck. Each boy was lying on his side, facing the rear of the boy in front of them. Their front leg was raised high in the air, to give any onlooker a clear view of their young pricks penetrating the anus of the boy before them. The five actors were arranged in age order, the youngest at the front, through to the oldest boy at rear. The youngest and smallest boy, a cute little kid with fair hair and pale green eyes, was thus without any one to fuck, his small penis flopping around unoccupied as his own rear was bounced back and forth as he was fucked. The eldest boy had his anus unoccupied, whilst the three in the middle had the best of both worlds. Sandwiched between two other kids, they were having the pleasure of fucking the tight ass of the boy in front of them, whilst also having their own bum serviced by an older boy behind them.

Henry had only been watching the five horny boys a short time, before they changed position. He wondered if this was because they had suddenly gained a more attentive audience, or if they had always changed after a fixed time in one position. Four of the boys made up two pairs, whereupon they got into a sixty-nine position and proceeded to suck on their partner's hard cock. The fifth boy, not involved in either pair, was the eldest of the bunch. He was a handsome young teenager of eastern descent, who possessed a large cock a much older boy would have been proud of. The boy moved between the two pairs, ramming his prick deep into the ass of the youngster at the top of the sucking pile. Not content with just two bums to fuck, the eldest boy would occasionally flip them over to gain access to the shapely behind of the boy underneath. By the time Henry decided to move on, he had witnessed that large prick ploughing the asses of all four of the other kids, from the eldest to the youngest. There was one blond haired boy in the group, but it was not Billy or Jamie.

Having completed the circuit, Henry had no choice but to return to the final show which for some reason had such a large crowd. The group surrounding it had lost none of its size, nor boisterousness, since Henry had walked past it some minutes before. Deciding there was little point waiting any longer, Henry returned to the crowd and attempted to push his way through to see what was going on. After a couple of minutes of manoeuvring, requiring generous use of Henry's elbows, the old man got close enough to see the action. He soon became aware that this was not really another show, like those he had seen before, but this place was actually fulfilling the role of a gambler's corner. However what was occurring here, was no kind of betting games Henry had seen before. Just in front of the crowd was a kind of wooden beam over which four boys were draped, their upturned bottoms facing the crowd. The boys had each been supplied with a soft cushion to place under their haunches, but even with this, Henry thought their position looked far from comfortable. Stood directly behind the bench was a man, a Turk, dressed in dark flowing robes and sporting a black bushy beard. Henry assumed he was one of Abdul's men, and seemed to be performing the role of the referee in the coming game.

At the time of his arrival the crowd was busily placing what the Scot assumed to be bets. This they did by placing some notes or coins on one of the four upturned bottoms. These were removed by the man behind the bench, who took a note of the size of the bet, the man who had placed it, plus the boy on whose ass it was laid. After a few more minutes of shouting and bet placing, the black robed man raised his arms in the air, clearly indicating no more betting would be allowed. A kind of hush fell on the onlookers, as they waited for whatever it was that was to follow, and Henry noticed the referee stoop down and retrieve some objects from behind the bench. Following a shout from the man, the four boys thrust their bottoms high into the air, and after selecting one of the objects, the man leaned over to the boy on his far right. Henry could now see that the object being held was undeniably a wooden dildo, and not a small one either, being a good 8 inches in length and very wide as well. Henry could easily guess where the wooden invader was heading, and after the application of a little grease, the black robed man proceeded to push the object into the anus of the boy he had approached. He did not stop until the dildo had virtually disappeared, only the top could been seen, around which the youngster's asshole was obscenely stretched.

Having finished the first boy, the man behind the bench, proceeded to push other dildos deep into the anal passages of the remaining three boys. Two of the wooden invaders had been smaller than that which penetrated the first kid, but one was even bigger, a good inch longer and slightly thicker. As the huge pole was stuck into the boy who was destined to receive it, Henry noticed the youngster's bum cheeks tense up as it was pushed home. When all four of the objects were in place, the referee took a short pause, then with a quick shout the race began, and a great yelling and shouting broke out from the crowd as it did. It did not take Henry long to work out that the object of the race was for the boy to eject the large dildo from his ass, the first to do so no doubt being the winner. The boys were obviously not permitted to get up, or use their hands, and had to achieve their objective by doing nothing more than wiggling their bums, and manipulating their anal muscles.

To start with there was little movement, but then slowly a couple of the wooden objects started to emerge, accompanied by an increase in the shouting of the crowd as they encouraged whichever boy it was on which they had laid their bet. Once movement had begun, the dildos slipped out at a slightly increased speed, though every now and then they would stop as the youngster took a well-earned rest. When one of the boys had forced his dildo about half way out, the final part was easier, and it moved steadily upwards, before it finally shot out, and fell clattering to the floor.

Shouts of delight, or groans of disappointment, came from the crowd, and a handful of the men moved to gentle pat the winning boy on the bum, as a way of congratulation. The dildos still embedded in the losing three, were none too gently pulled out of the their behinds. Henry noting that the kid who had taken the biggest object up his rectum had barely managed to move the huge object out at all. With the race over, the man behind the bench paid out to those that had betted on the winning boy. He then bent down and retrieved a whole box of wooden dildos, one or two of an even more fearsome dimension that the biggest one Henry had seen used in the race. The man placed the four he had just used back in the box, and selecting four new ones, putting one on each of the four upturned bums. There then followed a heated discussion between the banker and the crowd about the odds for the next race. No doubt their were a number of factors to consider, notably the age of the boy, the size of the dildo, and how well the youngster had done in the races up to that point.

Henry had found the spectacle both fascinating, and more than a little shocking. Still he forced himself to remain objective, the important thing for him was to know if any of the four boys engaging in this game were Billy or Jamie. Unfortunately the bottoms and legs of the boys were all he could see of them, their entire upper torso, and most importantly their faces, being hidden behind the bench. Now Henry had seen both of the boys he seeked naked on numerous occasions, and was well accustomed to their pretty little butts. However, while boy bottoms certainly varied, the differences were insufficient on their own, for a positive identification. The Colonel prided himself on being an expert on the behinds of young boys, but as he examined the four in front of him, he could not be certain about the ages of their owners. Two of the boys were certainly too dark skinned to be Billy or Jamie, unless the pair had seriously improved their suntan, but the other two could be white Europeans.

Resigning himself to the need to get a closer look, Henry took advantage of the fact that the rest of the men were arguing over the odds for the next race, and shuffled off to the side. He then stepped up onto the stage, and leaning right over the bench he looked down at the other side. The black robed man gave Henry a disapprovingly look, and the old man shrunk back again. It was unimportant what the banker thought, Henry had seen enough. He had not actually viewed the boys' faces, but he now knew they all had dark hair, his search would continue.

Although more than a little disappointed he had not found Billy and Jamie, Henry reminded himself that there were still plenty more boys he had not properly checked out. Extracting himself from the crowd of gamblers, the Colonel slowly walked round the main group of revellers, examining any boy faces he could see, though trying not to look like he was staring. Failing to spot anything, the old man decided to take a rest, so he sat down at the edge of the group easing his ageing body onto some soft cushions. He took up a position where he could see the main group he was sat in, the smaller group holding Abdul, plus watch the main entrances where boys were hurrying back and forth with food and drink. Henry had hardly been sat down for a minute, when a young boy came over and said something Henry did not understand. The boy, a brown haired cutie who had somehow managed to hang onto both parts of his skimpy outfit, saw the old man's confusion and dashed off. The youngster returned with a piece of paper on which was printed a list of drinks, in a string of different languages. Abdul was certainly set up for entertaining international guests. Henry pointed to where it said whiskey, and the boy dashed off to fetch it. He returned a couple of minutes later, presenting Henry with a generous glass of his favourite tipple.

As the Colonel sipped at his drink, he reflected on the overall demeanour of the boys at the party. Knowing the boys were slaves, he had expected them to look and act differently to what he now saw. He had the stereotyped image in his mind that slaves would be constantly miserable, clad in heavy chains, and would be endlessly lashed with heavy whips held by evil looking guards. Yet the majority of boys here looked reasonably happy, and many were laughing or giggling as the various guests played with their young bodies. The children looked well fed, and showed no obvious signs that they had been severely mistreated. Henry had spotted the odd mark across the buttocks of some of the boys, proving the owner had received a relatively recent caning or strapping for some misdemeanour, but they were no more prevalent than one would have found upon the bottoms of a random sample of English schoolboys. Overall Henry had to admit, that apart from one or two of the more extreme shows, the scene he was seeing here was not that much different than the regular monthly parties Sam held at his Manor. The important difference of course, was that at the end of one of Sam's parties, the boys were permitted to go home, which was not the case here.

As Henry was thinking this, almost unnoticed a very young lad had climbed into his lap, and curled himself up on the man. Henry looked down at the boy and smiled, and the child smiled warmly back. The kid had very striking brown eyes, and from his dark skin and curly back hair Henry guessed he was from Northern Africa. He did not look much more than 9 or 10, and the naked child purred as Henry gently stroked his skin. Henry was sure the boy could speak no English, which was a shame, as the old man would have had a lot to ask him. Apart from playing with the pretty boy, Henry kept glancing round to see if he could see Billy or Jamie amongst the boys entertaining the other men. He occasionally got excited when he spotted a mob of blond hair amongst the crowd, but as he stared long enough to see the owner's face, his hopes would be dashed again. Although surrounded by laughter and merriment, Henry could not help feeling downhearted. The only evidence they had that either boy was here was John hearing that someone that looked like a younger version of him was part of Abdul's harem. However, Henry had seen at least two boys that could have passed as John's younger brother, maybe one of these were the one that was being referred to. Maybe the boys they seeked were not in this palace at all, or worse than this, were not even in the country. Maybe Abdul had sold them to some trader, who had transported them to Arabia, China, or any other far off place in the world. It was just as these depressing thoughts were running through his mind when Jamie walked into the room.

Or at least Henry thought it was Jamie, though the boy did look a bit different than Henry remembered. However considering that he had not seen the child for almost six months now, as a growing lad he was bound to have changed. The boy was nude, and was carrying a jug of something which he was using to pour a drink out for one of the guests a short distance away from where Henry was sat. As he did this, the man made a grab for the boy's ass, and from the wonderful smile that passed over the child's face Henry knew immediately it was indeed Jamie. The old man would recognise that happy, carefree smile anywhere, and it had warmed his heart on many an occasion in the past, as he had seen it whilst he tickled the boy, or told him one of his stories.

Resisting the temptation to cry out, Henry pointed out Jamie to the boy on his knee, and the little lad understood immediately. The child was well used to the constant impatience of horny old gentlemen, and knew they were forever swapping one pretty boy for another, as if determined to ensure they had played with each one. He hoped off Henry's knee, and ran over to where Jamie stood. The small African boy took the jug from Jamie's hands, and pointed out the smartly dressed Scotsman sat awkwardly on the cushions. The young blond nodded, and skipped over to where Henry was sitting, and as soon he was in reach, the old man grabbed him, pulled him into his arms and showered the boy with kisses as he hugged him tight. It was a few moments, before Henry had overcome his emotions sufficiently to pull away and look into the child's face. As he did so, he saw a kind of contented but bewildered look, which changed into one of concentration as the boy was trying to recall a long lost memory. It suddenly occurred to Henry how much different he himself looked without his distinctive beard so Jamie had not yet recognised him. It was not really that surprising, the boy was hardly expecting the man to make an appearance at the party.

"Now, now, Jamie," Henry whispered, "You kanna say yer don't recognise yer Uncle Henry."

If the boy had not immediately recalled the face, he had no problems at all recognising the old man's Scottish voice. Instantly the child's eyes opened very wide, and he would have let out a squeal of delight had not Henry clamped his mouth to that of the youngster and kissed him long and deep. When he pulled off of him, the young boy was trembling with excitement, his eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"Now, now laddie, calm yerself, and try not to look as if yer know me. I'm kinda incognito here, what yer might call an uninvited guest."

Jamie took a few moments to fight the overwhelming emotions running through him and try to calm down. When he had recovered enough to speak, he whispered to the old man.

"Uncle Henry, I though I'd never see you again, have you come to rescue me?"

"Well I didn't come across the length of Europe just to kiss yer child, though twas a nice kiss all the same. Anyway is young Billy also in this place?"

"Yes he is, though I do not know where he is now. We were together at the start, but got separated later on. Last time I saw him, he was in here with one of the guests, maybe he is still here."

"Nay he is not, though me heart is overjoyed to know yer both here and safe. Now we have to find young Billy, where might he be?"

Jamie thought for a second, then was sure of the answer.

"Master set up some rooms for guests that want to be alone with a boy or two, maybe he is in one of these. That's where I was before I came back here, but I tired the man I was with out, and he asked me to leave."

Jamie took hold of one of Henry's hands, and guided it between his legs

"Can you feel, I'm still all slimy," the boy giggled.

Henry felt the sticky liquid that had oozed out of the youngster's behind. He had no great wish to be fingering another man's sperm, but it gladdened his heart to see that Jamie had lost none of his happy carefree spirit.

"Do you mean there are even more boys than I see here. How many of you are there in his harem? The man must have more boys than Eton."

"There are a lot of us, but many of the boys here I don't recognise. I think he has hired some additional kids, and quite a number of guests brought along some boys of their own."

"Hmm, anyway we have to find Billy," Henry said. "Come let's pretend we are going to one of these rooms."

The pair got up, and Jamie took the old man's hand and led him off towards one of the exits. No one took any notice of the attractive young blond boy and the man as they left, all were occupied by their own pleasures, and the orgy continued undisturbed.

"Fucking great, this really was a great idea of yours," Frank said to Sam, as the two men crouched in a corner of the dark dingy room they and the rest of the guests' bodyguards were being kept.

"I don't recall you objecting to it at the time. Besides, how the hell was I to know we would end here."

"Fuck I realise that," Frank replied. "Just I hate sitting here idly while the old man is out there facing all the dangers. Hell, at least he will get treated properly, this place is one stinking hole."

It was in truth not luxury quarters, though the host had at least laid on some food and drink for the guards, though neither Sam nor Frank had partaken of this. In addition, even the entertainment of the guards had not been entirely overlooked. Two barrels lay at one end of the room, over each of which a person had been tied face down. One was a teenage boy, the other a young woman. Both were naked, and so positioned that any on their orifices were available for the guards to enjoy, being able to choose the sex of their preferred sex toy. Not surprisingly, given the number of men they had to serve, the pair looked tired and miserable, semen covered their faces, and ran down the insides of their thighs. At the moment both were being fucked by two men, one in front using their mouth the other behind, buggering the ass in the case of the boy, or the cunt or ass in the case of the woman, Sam could not tell. A reasonable sized queue of men had built behind both barrels, as men waited for their turn, though Sam noticed the queue for the boy was somewhat longer.

Naturally enough neither Sam nor Frank was in the mood for joining either queue. They had tried to get out the only door leading into this place, but their way had been barred by two of the black clad guards of Abdul. Other than the door, there were two small barred windows, which gave no realistic chance of escape, particularly in a room full of men. There was a small room leading off from the main chamber, but this was used as a toilet, and had no windows or other doors within it. From the awful stench in the room, Sam and Frank quickly abandoned the idea of staying in there whilst they discussed a plan.

"Noticed how some of the men standing in the queue are getting a bit irritable," Frank said.

"Stuck in this shithole, and impatient for their turn, what do you expect," Sam replied.

"Hmmm, exactly, and it gives me an idea, wait here."

Naturally Sam had nowhere else to go, but as he watched Frank get up and walk over to the front of the queue for the boy, he wondered what the American was playing at. Frank knew exactly was he was doing, and calmly pushed himself to the front of the queue. Not surprisingly this was not taken too well by the people already there, and they wasted no time in voicing their objections. Frank simply spun round, seized the man directly behind him and flung him straight into the queue that was waiting for a turn with the woman. He then kicked the next man, who fell over bringing all the rest of the boy queue tumbling down with him like a pack of cards. Seconds later, total bedlam broke out, as fists started flying in all directions. Most of the men seemed unaware that Frank had started the whole thing, and were simply striking out at the person who had bumped into them. Sam remained in the corner, but the majority of the other bodyguards piled into the fight, eager to work out their frustrations with some violence. The Englishman noted with some surprise, that the man buggering the boy, had not ceased his action at all, but continued to plough the teenager's ass, oblivious to the chaos around him.

The fight had not be going more than a minute or two, when Sam spotted Frank crawling away from the action, and a moment later the two men were back together, the perpetuator of the whole crime having got away with just a cut lip.

"See, I knew my skill at starting a barroom brawl would come in handy one day," the American said proudly.

"I can't see what you have achieved, you might have got us killed, and we still need to get out of here," Sam replied.

"Have some faith, wait till the cavalry arrives."

The cavalry Frank was referring to arrived shortly, though it was in the shape of several of Abdul's black clad guards rather than horsemen. These men immediately set about trying to restore some order, though they were helplessly outnumbered. It did not help, when unseen by the others, two at the back were suddenly assaulted, knocked unconscious and dragged into the toilet room. A couple of minutes later, two black clad figures emerged from the same room, their faces partly covered with part of the cloth of their turban. Not waiting to see what was happening in the ongoing brawl, the two men slipped quietly through the main entrance and were away.

"We're not supposed to go into a room with that showing. It means the room is occupied," Jamie said, and pointed to a sign on the door. It was a just a card with some lettering on it Henry did not understand. The thing could be flipped over the other way in the same way as a 'do not disturb' sign in a hotel.

"Damned if I'm gonna wait out here till whoever has Billy has finished. Come on boy we gonna have to check all the rooms, and make our apologies to those we disturb. Now then, looks to me like this one's put the card the wrong way round." Jamie giggled as he saw the old soldier flip the card the other way round, then reaching for the door handle he barged in.

The room was relatively bare, apart from a large bed along one wall, which was really all that was needed by the three occupants. On the bed was two boys and a man, all completely naked. The man lay on his back, with one youngster astride his loins, and the other sat on his face. Jamie recognised the boy on the bottom side of the man as young Ivan, the Russian boy he and Simon had observed seducing Abdul's guest. The 12-year-old was riding the man's prick at a steady pace, and when he looked over and saw Henry and Jamie, he gave them a cheeky grin. The other boy was younger, with olive coloured skin and black hair. He had his eyes closed as he screwed up his little face, obviously enjoying the attentions of the man's tongue licking his intimate parts. The man himself appeared to be too absorbed in his pleasures to have even noticed his intruders, and so they quickly left after making sure no other boys were lurking in some part of the room.

The next few doors were marked as unoccupied, so after quickly checking this was indeed the case, the pair moved on. Eventually they reached one that was marked as 'Occupied', and Henry flipped the card, playing the same trick as before to justify his sudden entrance. In this room were just two people, a man, and an oriental boy who looked around 14 years old. The nude teenager was lying on the bed, and had been practically bent in two by the man, who pinned the boy's legs so they were either side of his head. The man was only wearing a light shirt, so his thick hairy legs and fleshy backside were in full view. Also in sight was his large cock, or at least it could be seen during the times it was not buried to the root in the teenager's anus. This guest was buggering the boy like a madman, and from the pained expression on the youth's face it was clear that he was far from comfortable. On seeing Henry and Jamie enter, the man barked something at them Henry did not understand, though he did not let up on either the speed or severity of his thrusts in and out of the teenage boy he was fucking. After glancing round to ensure Billy was not waiting for his turn to be ridden, Henry bowed apologetically, and then exited the room.

After the rather painful scene they had just witnessed in the last room, the next one was almost comical. The occupants consisted of a man and a young blond haired boy of around 10 or 11, but who was unfortunately not Billy. The child was naked, but the man, an elderly Turk, was still fully dressed. This pair was not using the bed, but instead they were positioned on the floor near to the door. The child was lying on his back, his arms folded behind his head with a rather smug look on his cute face. The reason for this was clear by looking a little further down his nude body, because there one could see that the boy's entire genital area had been covered in a thick sticky liquid that looked like honey. The man was bent over licking the stuff off, tracing his tongue in wide circles round the youngster's small penis, which stood up erect like a tent pole. When the man noticed his onlookers, he looked more embarrassed than annoyed, so Henry and Jamie left him to his work.

"I am wondering if we will ever find Billy, how many of these rooms is there to check?" Henry asked the boy.

"There are a lot, but as we have seen, many are still unoccupied. I bet that will have changed later on in the evening."

Jamie led Henry to another corridor until they found another room that was being used. This was well occupied with no less than six people, five boys and a man. The adult was an Arab, sporting a bushy beard and thick eyebrows. He was sat on the bed his eyes fixed firmly on the antics of the boys scattered around him. It was clear immediately that this man derived his pleasure from the humiliation of older boys at the hands of their younger peers. Of the five children, the three youngest were all nude, but given the way the elder two had been attired, it was obvious they too would have preferred to have remained naked. One of the elder boys, a 12 or 13 year old with pale skin and long dark hair, was dressed in a short frilly pink dress, which assumably the guest had bought along himself, as clearly Abdul would have had no need of such a garment in his palace. To complete his attire, the boy had pink ribbons tied in his hair and various amounts of female make up had been applied to his face. The hapless lad's humiliation was further increased by the fact that he was on his knees before a boy a couple of years his junior, sucking the child's prick whilst the young kid ran his hands through his sucker's hair.

The other older boy had fared even worse. He was an older youth of some 14 or 15 years of age, and had been kited out in an even shorter blue dress and some fancy girl's panties. The later however were pulled down to the teenager's knees, and the former pushed up round his back, as the boy was currently draped over the knees of a nine year old Negroid boy, who was raining down spanks on the upturned naked bottom before him. The youngster was not capably of hitting that hard, but from the deep red of the older boy's buttocks, as well as his yelps with each spank, it was clear the unfortunate boy was feeling some pain. The final boy was another pre-teen, who was sucking the up standing penis of the man like it was a lollipop. The Arab gently stroked the soft hair of the youngster as his eyes eagerly took in the scenes around him. By the time he had noticed Henry's and Jaime's entrance, the pair had already started to leave.

"Damn me, there's some real old perverts amongst the guests," Henry muttered as they walked out. True as this was, he had seen just as much depravity displayed by his fellow countrymen at the Manor parties.

With their entrance procedure well established the old Scot and the young boy swept into the next room, and were once again confronted with a licentious scene within. Once again the participants consisted of a single man, and a number of young boys, in this case three. The four were on the bed, and they were all naked. The three youngsters were on their hands and knees, their beautiful bottoms thrust up in the air, and their heads on the bed buried under a pillow. The man was slightly behind the three, and was stoking his erect penis whilst he admired the delicious globes before him. All three boys had damp wet patches round the bottom of their bums, indicating that the lucky youngsters had recently had their arseholes treated to a tongue bath. To the two onlookers it appeared that the man was currently trying to decide which of the three heavenly rears he was to fuck first, though it was unclear why he had instructed the young owners to cover their heads with pillows. It was as if he was determined that the wonders of their bottoms would be the sole factor deciding his choice of which to bugger, and he did not wish to be influenced by the beauty of the boys' young faces. Whatever his reasons were, it presented Henry with a problem, as two of the boys had skin pale enough to belong to the 11 year old English boy he sought. Marching firmly into the room, to the incredulous and annoyed looks of the man, Henry simply announced.

"Sorry old boy, I've lost my spectacles, thought I might have left them in here."

The man clearly did not understand what he had said, but Henry did not care. He wandered over to the bed, had a quick glance under each pillow, and once he was sure none of the cute faces underneath belonged to Billy, he marched straight out of the door, followed by a highly amused young Jamie.

The next door was slightly further down the same corridor as the fifth Henry and Jamie had barged through. Of all the things he had seen in the various sex acts the pair had disturbed, this was the one that took Henry the longest to work out. There was one man and a boy in this room, both naked. The man was on the bed, on all fours, which looked immediately odd, as it was normally the boy that took up this position. The child was positioned behind the man, but was not fucking him, at least not with his cock. Instead, Henry was amazed to see that the boy had pushed his entire hand, and most of his forearm, up the rectum of the naked man. The man was cooing in delight, as the child pushed his arm back and forth, and for a moment Henry stood stunned looking at the sight. The boy had his back to the door, so Henry could not see his face, but Jamie did not need to, he pushed past the Scotsman and ran into the room.

"Billy, come on, we have to go."

The youngest Grange boy swung round in surprise, and as he did so, his arm pulled out of the man with a loud plop. The man looked round in shock, and started jabbering something to Billy, obviously annoyed at the interruption to his pleasure. The voice of the man was as high as a woman's, which considering what had just been up his ass, was hardly a surprise. As pleased as Henry was at the sight of Billy, he kept his concentration on the man, who was really about the oddest looking person it had been his displeasure to meet. Long string like hair fell from his face, and he had a thin gangly body, in addition to being bowlegged. Despite the fact it had looked like he had been receiving so much pleasure, Henry noticed that the man's penis was as limp as wet lettuce. As Henry started walking towards him, the man looked scared, but when he spotted the sword swinging at the Colonel's side, this turned into abject terror. Suddenly a high pitch scream filled the room, and it wailed on for several seconds until it came to a rapid end, as Henry drove his fist into the man's face, knocking him senseless.

For a moment Henry and the boys froze as they wondered if anyone had heard the scream. The found out a few moments later as two black clad figures dashed into the room. Henry reached for his sword, but immediately relaxed. It was Sam and Frank. The two men had been snooping round trying to find Henry, and had heard the scream. Things had happened so fast, Billy had not even realised that it was Henry that had come into the room with Jamie. However, there is something in the bond between father and son which allows them to sense each others presence even in the most difficult of circumstances. Despite the heavy makeup and strange costume, Billy recognised Sam immediately. His little face showed first surprise, then confusion, and lastly utter elation, as he flung himself into his father's arms, his emotions completely overcome, he promptly burst into tears.

Meeting his son so suddenly and unexpectedly like this had overloaded even Sam's normal focused mind, and he too started to weep, as he hugged his young son tight, kissing him repeatedly on the side of his head. For Jamie, the sight had made large tears starting to flow down his pretty face, and when Sam spotted that he too was in the room, it was like a dream come true. He swept the boy up into his other arm, and the three of them pressed their weeping faces together. It was certainly enough to bring a lump to the old Colonel's throat, the joy of witnessing the reunion of father and son had seemed to bring all time to a standstill, as Henry stood like a statue and watched the scene. Only Frank kept a grasp on reality, though he could not fail to be moved by what he had seen. Still he knew only too well they may not have been the only one's to have heard the scream, so wandering up to where Sam and the boys were, he simply said.

"I hate to break up the party, but let's get the fuck out of here."

The American's voice, delivered in such a calm but firm tone was enough to break the spell. Sam pulled his face out of the trio, and nodded, then still holding the two children, he swept out of the room followed by Henry and Frank.

The little group headed off down the corridor, turned a corner, then Henry suggested they hid in one of the free rooms for a moment whilst they formulated an escape plan. It was a while before Sam and the two boys had calmed down enough for the man to put the youngsters down on their own feet, and even then Billy would not let go of his dad, in fear that he might suddenly fly away. When they had recovered enough to speak, both boys had a flood of questions about the sudden appearance of the three men. However Sam told them that he could explain all later, for the moment they needed to get out of Abdul's place, and he needed to know if the boys knew a way. Unfortunately neither boy was much help, they only knew the parts of the palace that they had been permitted to see, and this was a small part of the large complex. They knew of no other exits than the main gate, or over the wall, both of which Sam could have worked out himself.

After some discussion it was decided that getting through the main gate was going to be too risky, it was well guarded and bringing the boys through would arouse discussion. The only choice was to locate a spot at the rear of the palace where they could get up to the wall, then go down with the aid of some rope. They had no rope, but after lashing together some bed sheets they found in the room they were occupying, they rigged up something that could be a substitute.

After checking that the coast was clear, the group slipped out of the room and headed down the corridor in a direction they hoped would lead to the rear of the palace. Not knowing their way round, and trying to avoid being spotted, they were forced to change direction a number of times when the hit locked doors, or encountered occupied halls or chambers. It was whilst trying to cross a chamber which was empty of people that they were spotted by two black clad guards, who shouted something to the group. They did not wait to see what they wanted, but immediately dashed off down one the corridors out of the room, Frank closing the door behind him, then pulled a nearby bookcase across it to block it. Running fast round a corner they virtually ran head first into another group, consisting of a tall man in purple robes, accompanied by four black clad guards, their swords waving before them. The two groups froze some few feet from each other, neither making any first moves, but things got worse for Sam's group when the two guards chasing them arrived to the rear, effectively closing the trap.

Abdul, as it was he that was leading the group in front of Sam, held up his hand to command his men to hold back for the moment. He had been alerted just a short while back that two of the guest's bodyguards had over-powered a couple of his men and made off with their uniforms. He had immediately joined the search for the intruders, but now that he had found them, he wanted to find out who they were, and what motive they might have for stealing his men's clothes.

He addressed the men in Turkish, though as soon as he spoke, Sam ripped off his Turban and replied in English.

"I am Sam Grange, this boy here is my son Billy, the other one is his friend Jamie whom you also had kidnapped from my land. I simply have come to reclaim them, so let us leave in peace, and no one will get hurt."

Abdul looked absolutely astounded, then threw back his head and laughed.

"Well, Mr Grange, the big man that would not sell me his boys, you are a long way from home. I am afraid you came all this distance for nothing, the boys belong to me now, and I have no intention of losing them."

"You bastard, my son is legally mine, by both British and International law."

"Hah, well your British law is of no use to you now. Now please push the children to the side, I do not wish them to be hurt as my men slice you into pieces."

Frank, who up to this moment had not said anything, suddenly shouted out.

"Well this is the law in my country", and as fast as lightning he pulled his two revolvers from out of his clothes. His first shot got Abdul between the eyes, but the guns blazed twice more each, leaving the master's four guards lying in a heap around his fallen body. Frank immediately swung round and took aim at the two guards behind the group, hitting one but the second had time to dive into a corridor, and the sound of his running feet could he heard as he got away. A moment of stunned silence fell on Sam's little group, before Henry spoke.

"Fine shooting my man, but I think we have blown our cover now."

A strange look had entered into the American's eyes, a wild, savage look, like a beast that had been suddenly aroused. It lasted but a moment, then passed, and Frank nodded at Henry and agreed they needed to move fast now. Henry led the way, pulling his trusty sword from its scabbard. Sam who had also pulled out his weapon, followed behind with the two boys, whilst Frank took the rear, his eyes skinned to see if the escaping guard should return. When the group swept passed the bodies of Abdul and his men, as horrific as the sight was to young Jamie and Billy, it was hard for them to feel sympathetic to the man who had kidnapped and imprisoned them.

They had not been running long before they were aware that the shots had roused the entire place. Glancing through a window into the courtyard outside, men could be seen running around, and a din of shouting and yelling could be heard from a number of places. They had been moving for some minutes before they encountered their first trouble. Henry had climbed some stairs up to a door, when it suddenly burst open and two sword-wielding guards came through. The lead one swung his sword at the Scot, but the old man showing a dexterity that belied his age, managed to dodge the blow, parry the next, then with a thrust ran the man through. The other guard fled.

"Wow, one for Scotland," Frank yelled from the rear, raising a wry smile from the old man.

"I fear there are too many of them for me to fell them all," Henry commented.

"No problems, as long as they stick to swords, I can handle them," the American replied.

Unfortunately this did not prove to be the case as they discovered when passing down another corridor. Here they had to make their way past a balcony running along a hall, and they had just entered this when shots ran out, and they quickly retreated back. Sam and Frank crawled to the front, and after a rapid fire fight, they concluded that there was too many of them for them to safely shoot their way through, so they ran off back the way they came.

Things did not significantly improve in the next few minutes, as attempts to break out of the palace was met by gun fire, or two many of the sword wielding guards for Frank and Sam to shoot them all down. They found themselves constantly running from place to place to try and throw of the pursuit, firing their guns to encourage anyone to hold off. Inevitably it was not long before Sam had a worrying problem to report to Frank.

"You don't have any more ammunition, I am out."

"Sorry, I only have a couple of shots left myself. I did not expect to have to hold off an army."

A few minutes later, even his last two bullets had gone, felling two of a group rushing them, persuading the rest to break off and run. They were left with little option but to keep on running and try and avoid any more encounters. This they did successfully for a few more minutes, running along the labyrinth of passageways that made up Abdul's large palace. The eventually reached a passage that led back to the hall where the grand orgy had taken place. It showed how much they had had to turn around given they had ended back up where they had started. In contrast to the huge numbers of people that had been engaging in various acts earlier on, the place was largely deserted now. It seemed the vast majority of guests had decided to run off the moment the shooting had started, particularly if the news of Abdul's demise had filtered back. A few boys were scattered round the edges looking scared, and the four youngsters tied over the bench as part of the gambling game were still in place, no one having taken the time to release them. One poor lad still had a huge dildo lodge up his arse, and he had obviously been unable to squeeze it out by himself.

Hearing the sound of feet behind them, Sam decided they had to cross the hall, as reluctant as he was for them to expose themselves in this huge space. They dashed across to an exit on the far side, passed quickly through a door, only to meet a group of soldiers heading their way. Double backing into the room they ran off down to the far corner, but things started getting much worse as more of the black clad men began to pour in through the far exits. Sam now realised they were trapped, and were left with little option but to attempt a desperate last stand. He and Frank armed themselves with two swords they found on the ground and the entire group retreated to one of the corners of the huge hall. It was hopeless, and they knew it only well, the three men were massively outnumbered, and both Sam and Frank knew nothing at all about swordsmanship. Billy and Jamie cowed into the corner, whilst the three men formed a protective arc around them, their swords held before them, as they tried to look as threatening as they could.

Yet the guards did not attack the little group immediately, they held off for some minutes standing some 10 feet or so from the corned group. They also waved their swords menacingly, edging inch by inch closer. Sam did not understand why they did not attack them and finish the job, he guessed that perhaps they were still scared of the strangers, who had successfully killed a number of the comrades, or maybe they were put off by Henry. The old soldier had worked himself into a battle frenzy now, and was swinging his sword round like crazy as he yelled out old Scottish war cries.

Yet soon they found the real reason, when after some period, Sam was too stressed to estimate exactly how long, a huge, brutish man made himself to the front of the waiting army. Dressed head to toe in a brilliant red outfit, and commanding a presence that all the other men seemed in awe, it was easy to see that this was the captain of the guard. He had given the order that he was to see personally to the final kill, if possible in a glorious combat of cold steel. Unlike Panesh, Abdul's deputy and a total coward, the captain of the guard had not run off when the trouble started. He knew his paymaster was now dead, but he had the honour and courage to see that that death would be avenged. Reaching the front of his men, he raised a huge cry amongst his men, as he steeled them for the final massacre. Sam knew the end had come and so he simply said to Frank.

"I'm sorry Frank, for getting you killed."

The American, finding that kind of calm that befalls a man who has seen his eminent end, actually decided to joke, and putting on his best posh British accent, he replied.

"That is alright old boy, I would not have missed this for the world."

The soldiers crept forward, the captain heading for the old Scot, sensing he would provide the most challenging sword fight. He raised his sword in the air and prepared to sound the charge.

Yet this died in his throat, as suddenly a strange wailing sound came from above. All eyes rose to see what it was, and a strange sight met them indeed. A small completely white figure stood upon the railings of the balcony that ran around the hall, its arms stretched out before it. A weird white mist drifted around the ghost like figure, giving it the appearance that it was actually floating in the air. Then it spoke, shouting out the words in high voice, but they came out like a violent rage, a continuous venomous speech in a language Sam guessed was Turkish. The speech meant little to the cornered group awaiting their fate, but to the guards a kind of deathly pale passed over their faces, like they had been stricken with some dread. The captain was perhaps the one that looked the least affected, but it helped him little, as in the seconds he was distracted by the ghostly vision Henry had seized his chance to run the man through with his blade.

Whatever it was that had spooked the soldiers, the dying cries of their captain was the final straw. Driven by a violent panic the men threw down their weapons and fled, running like mad men, leaving the hall empty and silent within a period of some seconds. To Sam and his companions, they were left stunned and amazed, and they stared once more at the small ghostly figure. Some of the surrounding mist had already cleared, making the thing look a lot more down to earth, something which was reinforced as rather than fly down to meet them, it turned, leapt back down to the balcony and vanished from site. No one moved, but just a short period later stamping feet could be heard approaching one of the doors, before four boys dashed into the room. The lead boy was John, and ignoring the look of utter astonishment of his father, he ran passed him and threw himself down upon Billy and Jamie. The second one was the white figure, though now it was possible to see that this was in fact Charles, saturated in some white powder that looked like flour. He too jumped into the pile of boys comprised of his other brothers and Jamie, and the four of them rolled around hugging each other in joy. The final two were Pascal and Agi, the Turkish boy hugging Frank, whilst the French boy rather more reservedly stood back to watch the rolling boys.

Stunned as he was, when Sam had recovered his senses he decided he wanted some answers to this whole affair, and was certain that the best source was going to be Charles, so he dragged his middle son from the melee on the ground. The other three were now also covered in the flour that was coming off Charles, but none of them seemed to care a jot. Charles was weeping with joy, but he calmed himself when he saw the look of bemusement in his father's face.

"I suppose you have some explanation for all this, I thought you were all asleep back in the inn."

"Ohh, you mean because of that sleeping drug," Charles replied. "Oh I found that amongst our stuff when we were on the boat. I knew you had bought it to use on me, so I swapped it for some almond powder. The minute I tasted almond in my tea at supper, I knew what you were trying to do, so I persuaded the others to pretend to be asleep. Still, I kept the sleeping powder, and it actually came in handy later on."

"Really, maybe you can fill me in what else I do not know." Sam was obviously annoyed that his ploy to keep the boys out of this had failed, but given that they had saved his life there seemed little point in bringing up the point. Charles then went back to explain what he and the others had been up to.

"After you had left the inn, we decided to follow and watch the entrance. We were not really going to try and get in, but after scouting round we could see it was going to be difficult for you to get out other than through the main gate. That's is when I came up with a plan to knock out the guards at the front. We ran back to the inn and got some drinks and the sleeping powder. We put this in the drinks then crept up to the guards. When we suddenly appeared in front of them, they were so inattentive I don't think they realised that we had not come out from the fort.

Anyway Agi explained we had bought some refreshments, and these they eagerly partook whilst taking the opportunity to paw over us. It was not long before they were soundly asleep, so we waited to see if there was any sight of you, hopefully with Billy and Jamie. After a reasonable period we heard some shots, and later on a lot more shooting. Not long after that a whole pack of guests started pouring out, grabbing their horses and riding rapidly away. We took the opportunity in the confusion to slip inside to see if we could help.

We managed to locate the hall where the guests had left, simply by running in the opposite direction to that which they were leaving in. We could not find any of you here, so we went up to the balcony to see if anyone was up there. It was not long after that they you came in, and we saw you get cornered. That's when I came up with the ghostly boy plan, and since the room we were in was fortunately a store room, it had some sacks of flour we could use to transform me. I guess you're wondering why all the men were so scared?"

"Well, now you mention it, yes," Sam said stating the obvious.

"It was one of the stories I found in that book of Turkish's legends I was reading on the ship. You remember, it was the book you claimed I would find nothing useful in. Anyway this story concerned a little boy who was killed by some soldiers when they found him playing near the castle. The story goes that he returned as a ghost and bought a terrible revenge on his killers. The legend continues that the ghost wanders the land, killing soldiers it encounters. Agi informed me that the legend is particularly well known in this area, so fortunately the job did its trick. Agi provided the voice, and did pretty well I must say at making the ghost sound real, he should become an actor."

The Turkish boy, who had been listening to Charles' explanation, beamed at the praise he was given. Sam was shaking his head in utter disbelief. Whatever else he would never doubt a thing his clever son did again. Still they were still not home and safe, and it was this matter that he turned his attention to now. As he did, Frank returned from a scouting trip to inform them that the palace looked empty of soldiers, and he had spotted them heading off towards the nearby village. He guessed it would be a long time before any of them dared to return.

With time to kill the party wandered round the palace gathering up the harem boys, all of whom had remained behind, some in hiding, as they had no where else to go. They were told that there were no ghosts around, and to quickly gather up some things and get ready to leave, as they were about to be set free.

It took sometime to get everything ready, but in the search for all the boys, the group stumbled upon Abdul's treasury. Deciding he had no further use with it, they decided to make off with that as well. Placing all the boys and the loot in several wagons they found, the group headed off out of the place some time the next morning. As a precaution against attack, Charles was placed in a lead wagon, after being covered in flour again, so that any soldiers could see that the ghost rode with them. Frank took the opportunity to raid the fort's armoury for some rifles and ammunition, in case more conventional protection was required.

In any case they encountered no problems as they left, nor on the way back to the port of Izmir. Shortly before they rode into town, Sam gathered up the numerous harem boys and asked each what he wanted to do. Not surprisingly the European boys that had been kidnapped along with John, Billy and Jamie, all wanted to go home, something Sam said he would arrange. Some of the others, particularly those that had been part of the harem for many years had no where to return to. They got into little groups and decided to try and make it on the own here, the country they had now adopted. Sam gave them their share of Abdul's treasury to help them start out.

Once in Izmir, the whole party left on the first boat to Athens, and fortunately there was one leaving for that location that very day, which meant Sam did not have the hassle and worry of arranging a night for them in the port. At Athens Sam purchased tickets for them all for their onward journeys, but as the majority were boarding for a boat heading west, Sam informed his boys and Jamie to say goodbye to Frank, Henry and the others as they would not be getting on the same boat. The boys were confused, but did as their father asked. Frank informed them that he was heading back to America, and they were welcome to visit him anytime. They were all pleased to see that he was taking young Agi back with him, which the American said he would employ in his Wild West show. Henry was to return to England with all the other boys. He was to ensure that the non-English boys would be handed over to the relevant foreign embassies, so that they could be sent home. Once the boat had departed, the boys wanted to know why they were not leaving too.

"I have decided that since we have come all this way, we might as well take the opportunity to travel a bit and see some of the world, I have thus got us tickets to Alexandria, from where we will go on to Suez, and India. Henry will explain to Jamie's parents that he is safe, and they would not want him to miss out on a trip of a lifetime."

All the boys were very excited about the idea, and a long holiday would give them a chance to spend a lot of time together to help recover from their ordeal. Young Jamie was particularly overjoyed, he kept wondering what adventures still lay in store for him.

The End