Pueros

The Other Tom Brown's Schooldays

(Nialos version)

Chapter 13
Hogmanay

(Abernethy Hall, near Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, New Year's Eve, December 1803)

Dr. Strappem was actually generous for three reasons. First, his seasonal spirits had proved pleasant because of much consumption of the alcoholic kind, especially whisky of which he was particularly fond. Second, Tom, Christopher and Jonathan would be staying overnight at Abernethy Hall for the first time and so their absence from Sodomhall School would spill over to a Sunday. Third, the Headmaster too had received a kind invitation to enjoy Sir James' traditional New Year's Eve Hogmanay celebrations, the nature of which owed much to the Baronet's Scottish connections.

Dr. Strappem, who would also stay overnight, would therefore enjoy the customary Hogmanay banquet Sir James Abernethy arranged annually for local dignitaries in his stately home's ornate main dining room. At the same time, a plainer but nevertheless excellent buffet would be provided in one of the huge residence's larger halls for the Baronet's staff, tenants, trade suppliers and other less important acquaintances.

Dr. Strappem greatly appreciated that Sir James Abernethy apparently now considered him to be sufficiently dignified to attend the banquet. The Headmaster had only previously been invited to the buffet.

The buffet had been pleasant, with plenty of decent food and ale, plus joyful musical accompaniment, provided by hired artistes who normally performed at local taverns. However, there was usually no prospect of the invitees to the more plebeian party sleeping off their inevitable New Year hangovers in one of Abernethy Hall's guest bedrooms, which were exclusively reserved for those attending the banquet. The best overnight accommodation that could instead be anticipated was sleeping on some straw in the stables or barns associated with the stately home.

Dr. Strappem could now look forward to luxurious overnight accommodation. The Headmaster would also be sampling the many courses of delicious exotic delicacies customarily provided at the banquet, many of which were testament to the host's Scottish connections and to the time that he had spent as the colonel of his own army regiment in India. These dishes, which of course therefore included the strange mix of haggis and curries, would be accompanied by expensive fine wines and classical music played by a hired professional string quartet.

Dr. Strappem was also eagerly anticipating the subsequent billiards and card-playing indulged by the gentlemen amongst the guests, whilst the ladies chatted elsewhere. However, the Headmaster's attitude did not arise from any particular affection for these pastimes or the loss of the women's company, although, being a misogynist, he did welcome the latter development. He was instead looking forward much more to consuming the generous amounts of expensive whisky that accompanied participation, especially the famed Abernethy malt, distilled in Scotland by the senior branch of the host's family.

In actuality, Dr. Strappem was to enjoy his undiluted malt whisky much more than he anticipated. However, this phenomenon did not arise from the splendid taste but from the accompanying conversation with his host. This discussion was also to lead to the Headmaster relishing future Abernethy hospitality in a totally unexpected but nevertheless literally greatly gratifying manner.

Meanwhile, the young subject of the conversation, James Abernethy, had been excused his customary attendance at the Hogmanay banquet, at which he was invariably the only child, in favour of being present at the buffet with Tom, Christopher and Jonathan. His new friends were only deemed important enough to be invited to the more informal and plainer plebeian celebration and the host's son of course wanted to be with them.

James' father had relented and agreed to this arrangement because of the boy's entreaties. The man might have been a traditionalist and disciplinarian but his only son generally only had to display his invariably completely disarming smile whilst pleading to achieve his aims.

James, Tom, Christopher and Jonathan were, however, not currently consuming food or playing at the buffet. The very pretty young quartet, all of whom would reach their 11th birthdays by the time that Easter of 1804 arrived, were instead engaged in as earnest a conversation as that simultaneously taking place in the nearby billiards' room between Sir James Abernethy and Dr. Strappem.

"You can't!" Tom suggested in desperation to James. "Why can't I, old bean?" the puzzled young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy asked in reply.

"The place is simply not appropriate for someone of your background, as it caters for the lower middle and not upper class," Tom answered. "I don't care, old bean, because, despite my posh accent, I'm not a snob," James responded.

What the boys were arguing about was also the subject of the conversation between the fulsomely moustached Sir James Abernethy and Dr. Strappem in the nearby billiards' room. "As the war with France and that upstart Napoleon Bonaparte has resumed," the Baronet advised the Headmaster, "I decided to reactivate my regiment and offer my reassembled Northumberland Yeomanry to the government to defend the country. We've now been ordered to the south coast of England to help reinforce the garrisons of some of the forts there. The Prime Minister, Henry Addington, is a personal friend of mine and he tells me that the deployment is necessary because he fears that the French might attempt to invade."

Dr. Strappem knew that Sir James Abernethy was a very important man in the county of Northumberland. However, the revelation that the Baronet was a friend of the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom suggested that he was also a person of national significance.

"I was therefore in a quandary," Sir James Abernethy continued, "as to what I should do about my son in my absence. It's impractical for me to take him with me because I'll be living peripatetically in military establishments and camps that are entirely unsuitable for a child. I could, of course, simply leave him here under the tutelage of his tutor but I believe that, even though he now receives weekly Sunday visits from his new friends attending your school, he's lonely enough here without losing the company of his father."

Dr. Strappem believed that he knew what Sir James Abernethy would say next. The Baronet would surely advise that he intended finally to despatch his son to some prestigious boarding school. In fact the Headmaster wondered why the young heir had not yet been sent to such an educational establishment, as was customary for upper class boys.

Dr. Strappem was proved to be partially correct, and also had his wonderment answered, when Sir James Abernethy added "I've therefore been considering sending my son to a boarding school. I've been reluctant to do so before because I did not enjoy the experience when I attended Eton. It wasn't the harsh discipline that troubled me, as all boys generally deserve a good thrashing now and then, but was instead…….."

Sir James Abernethy had stopped what he was saying because he suddenly realised that he was unthinkingly about to reveal unpleasant truths about his time at Eton that he considered were best kept private. However, having come so far in conversation, he also appreciated that he had somehow to complete his intended latest statement.

"Look, you're a man of the world, Dr. Strappem, and also an undoubtedly good headmaster," Sir James Abernethy therefore said in alteration to what he had first intended more bluntly to reveal, "whom I'm positive ensures that such nefarious activities never occur at Sodomhall. However, I have no doubt that you'll know what I'm inferring when I tell you that I was a rather handsome schoolboy and was therefore the subject of much unwanted attention from older pupils and even one teacher when I was at Eton."

Dr. Strappem, of course, did indeed know what Sir James Abernethy was inferring. The Headmaster also could not help but laugh inwardly, albeit without any external sign of his secret amusement, at the Baronet's suggestion that he ensured that 'such nefarious activities never occur at Sodomhall'.

Dr. Strappem additionally intuitively and correctly inferred something else from Sir James Abernethy's rather cryptic confession. The former Eton schoolboy had in adulthood inherited a rich and distinguished Baronetcy and all the trappings that came with such an exalted position. He had also accumulated a brave and successful military record of which he could be proud. His whole appearance and demeanour, with his noble bearing and accent, fulsome masculine moustache and clothing generally associated with wealthy country squires, seemed to depict the very epitome of heterosexual English aristocracy.

Remembrance of having been forced or seduced as a boy into homosexual relationships, including possibly even being raped, would surely consequently be very painful for such as man as Sir James Abernethy. Dr. Strappem could therefore fully appreciate why, given such experiences, the Baronet disliked the idea of sending his young son and heir to Eton too, despite the fact that the school was the most prestigious in the country.

"I've therefore discounted Eton as a possibility for my son," Sir James Abernethy actually next confirmed to Dr. Strappem, "as I have no reason to believe that the sort of awful practices to which I was subjected have yet ceased. I instead began considering such schools as Harrow and Rugby."

Dr. Strappem now believed that Sir James Abernethy was about to ask his opinion about these two famous schools, which were almost as prestigious as Eton. The Headmaster's assumption proved incorrect after the Baronet added "However, I changed my mind when I spoke at length to my son about the issue and I eventually came round to accepting his suggestion."

Sir James Abernethy went on to explain to Dr. Strappem what the suggestion from his son, which he had accepted, entailed. In reaction, the Headmaster dropped the glass of expensive malt whisky, which he had just brought to his lips in order to sip, onto the floor of the billiards' room.

What the suggestion entailed was simultaneously apparent in the conversation taking place at the same time between Tom and the young James Abernethy, held in the nearby large noisy crowded hall that was hosting the buffet. Christopher and Jonathan were essentially just witnesses to the argument.

"The discipline's very severe," retorted Tom, who was becoming increasingly anxious that his best efforts to try to dissuade the young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy from his intent might fail, "and you can therefore expect many beatings, which are also often inflicted unjustly!" "I don't care about that either, old bean, because I'm not a coward," James responded, causing his friend's exasperation and panic to increase, "and anyway I'm sure such punishments and injustice happen in other similar places!"

The desperate Tom therefore felt compelled to play his last conversational card. He had kept the disclosure in reserve because, like all of his fellow pupils at Sodomhall School, he was usually too ashamed and frightened to speak about the topic to outsiders.

"There's also a lot of other abuse of the boys by the staff," Tom finally confessed in a virtual whisper. "What kind?" James asked.

"I'll only answer that question," Tom replied, "if you promise not to tell anyone else." James briefly looked a little perplexed at the request for confidentiality but nevertheless provided the necessary reassurance.

Tom subsequently swallowed hard and summoned enough bravery to answer James' question with one word, namely "Sexual!" The boy's shame at being forced into this whispered confession was simultaneously given away when his very pretty face blushed into a vivid scarlet hue.

There was then a brief silence between the boys after Tom had uttered his humiliating disclosure, which he believed would permanently bring to an end James' declared intent. However, his assumption was subsequently shattered when the young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy retorted "I don't care about that either, old bean, because I'm not a prude, and anyway I'm sure such abuse happens in other similar places!"

Of course, James did not make his own confession to Tom, which would have provided full elucidation of his latest retort. The young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy still had aspirations to indulge in sexual experimentation with his new friends, which was the private reason amongst several openly expressed ones motivating him to suggest to his father that he become a boarder with them at Sodomhall School.

The possibility that James' secret desire for sexual experimentation might extend to being involved in similar activities with adults at Sodomhall School did not deter the boy at all. He was instead somehow rather guiltily thrilled at the prospect, as was testified by some hidden growth in his groin simultaneous to hearing Tom's disclosure. The young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy was currently insufficiently mature and experienced to know that playing with man-size cocks could be very anguishing.

James had previously aired with his father his more open and innocent motives for wanting to board at Sodomhall. He had begun by commenting "I know, Pater, that the school does not normally cater for our social class. However, I don't mind mixing with boys from the lower orders."

James had advised his widower parent, whom he always, as was common in his class, addressed as 'Pater', which is Latin for 'father', of his attitude to mixing with boys of a lower social strata not as a result of any personal condescension or snobbishness. He genuinely did not possess these unlikeable characteristics. He instead hoped to overcome any snootiness that the adult might have in respect of the issue.

"After all, Pater," James had added for his father's consideration, "I already count Brown, West and Morton as my best friends. Sodomhall School also has the advantage, in addition to having these three boys as boarders, of being close to Abernethy Hall. I additionally understand that the place has a reputation for providing a good disciplined education."

James relayed this latter comment because he recognised that his father liked his son to behave and wanted a sound education for him. The boy's remark was also actually correct and the academic reputation was deserved. However, outside adults might have been less enamoured if they had been made aware of the nature of some of Sodomhall School's extra-curricula activities.

At the Hogmanay buffet, James now frowned at Tom before announcing "I am, though, beginning to care that your attempts to dissuade me from boarding with you at Sodomhall School might result from the fact that you don't really like me." The young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy was fully aware that his expressed fear was wrong. However, he had been spurred into making the comment in order to try to put an end to his friend's counter-arguments, which were clearly well meaning but nevertheless unwanted.

Tom naturally protested his innocence in respect of the accusation. He also realised that his attempts to dissuade James from joining him as a boarder at Sodomhall School had failed. He reluctantly recognised that he could not continue to argue in the face of a charge that he was only doing so because he disliked the boy.

Tom was perceptively not deceived that James' aristocratic status or, for a pupil of Sodomhall School, his unusual closeness with an important and loving father would help his friend avoid the worst experiences of life at the educational establishment. He realised that the boy would be prevented from telling his parent about what was happening through blackmail if not shame.

Tom had by now become well acquainted with Dr. Strappem's scheming ways, not least from his own experience of the blackmail practised to prevent all pupils from telling tales to outsiders. Such intimidation was verbally inflicted on all new boys as a precaution, even though most would never complain anyway because of fear, shame and the lack of anyone to whom they could realistically protest and expect help, given that all possessed completely uncaring parents or guardians.

Each new boy was menaced with expulsion if, in Dr. Strappem's own frequently uttered words, "You tell untruths about what happens in this school to outsiders. You'll also be branded as an outrageous liar, eligible for prosecution for malicious slander, and homosexual, imprisonable for extreme perversion, both of which I'm sure will displease your parents or guardians. Meanwhile, I'll also be compelled to punish severely the close friends you leave behind for harbouring such a viper as you in their midst!"

No pupil considered expulsion in such a manner desirable, regardless of how much they would love to leave Sodomhall. Their invariably cold and selfish parents and guardians would probably believe Dr. Strappem's accusations rather than any made by the boys and so the expelled students could expect immense trouble. Even if the adults thought otherwise, they would be too uncaring or unimportant to provoke much trouble, in an era without police and school inspectors, when litigation about such matters was unheard of and stories in the embryonic press were often condemned as scurrilous and so ignored. The idea that the friends left behind would also suffer severely was also highly discouraging.

Ex-pupils who had become adults, some in very important professions, additionally maintained their meek silence for similar reasons. They all also appreciated that, if they did somehow try to pursue their grievances, counter- accusations from Dr. Strappem and his staff at Sodomhall School about them being liars and the actual perverts could be very damaging. Collective action, such as that undertaken by modern victim pressure groups, was additionally unknown in early the 19th century.

Sir James Abernethy was, however, an unprecedented kind of parent for a pupil of Sodomhall School. He would probably have believed any accusations made by his son and was caring and important enough to provoke a lot of trouble. Nevertheless, Tom perceptively appreciated that the man's son would never want his father to have to tackle counter-charges that his young heir was a liar and pervert or have his friends suffering because he had complained of abuse.

Tom therefore knew that James would, after joining Sodomhall School, compliantly suffer physical and sexual abuse without complaint, as he already had to do. In fact, given his exceptional red-headed prettiness and unusually exalted status for a pupil, the boy would surely be the popular subject of much maltreatment of this kind.

These assumptions had originally encouraged Tom to try to dissuade James from his unwise intent. However, his efforts had now obviously failed.

Tom, completely disarmed by James' accusation that he might not have any real affection for his new aristocratic friend, gave up arguing by sombrely confirming "I won't contest the issue with you anymore." He subsequently briefly contemplated how the young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy would soon have to suffer the sad consequences of his oratorical victory.

Tom then sighed before adding "I'll just say instead that Christopher, Jonathan and I do truly like you. We'll prove it by doing our best to help make your imminent introduction to Sodomhall School as painless as possible."

James naturally assumed that Tom's use of the word 'painless' referred to overcoming any difficulties that he might encounter when he started at Sodomhall School at the imminent beginning of the new winter term. The boy still naively did not realise, despite his friend's warnings, that the expression had been utilised literally.

"Well, as the issue is settled, old beans, old chaps, old superlatives, let's go and tuck into the buffet" James happily suggested to his three friends after winning the debate, which was a victory that he would have cause later to regret on many occasions. The hungry Tom, Christopher and Jonathan eagerly complied, as the fare on offer was far more plentiful, varied and tasty than the disgusting gruel inevitably served for dinner at their school.

Temporarily forgetting about what horrors the imminently forthcoming year of 1804 might bring to their lives at their school, Tom, Christopher and Jonathan subsequently happily indulged in a variety of enjoyable party games with James. To the latter boy's disappointment, these pastimes still did not include sex play but he hoped that his arrival as a boarder at Sodomhall would eventually change this undesirable situation. His wish was, of course, to be granted in a very comprehensive manner.

Like Tom, Sir James Abernethy had also eventually acceded to his son's persuasive arguments. He was therefore currently agreeing with Dr. Strappem, whose whisky glass had been restored to the shocked but pleased Headmaster's hands and generously re-filled, the arrangements for his young heir to start at Sodomhall School.

After all, Sir James Abernethy had heard nothing but good about Sodomhall School from local people. Unfortunately, those whom he had questioned on the subject proved to be rather biased and untruthful commentators, all in some way gaining from the educational establishment's activities.

Sir James Abernethy had, in the course of his normal business, asked the opinion of his tenant farmers, Allcock and Loveboy, about Sodomhall School. He did the same with the local publican, Dickup, and the trader who supplied his stately home with linen and staff uniforms, Coxhead. All praised the educational establishment.

Sir James Abernethy's own butler, Rambottom, also provided a glowing verbal reference, which was not surprising because he was a regular participant in Sodomhall School's special annual hunt. He always relished the reward gained by catching the current year's boy-bait.

Sir James Abernethy's wider garnering of views also unfortunately somehow managed to target similar beneficiaries of Sodomhall School's naughty activities. However, this phenomenon was actually not surprising, as he was guided on whom to ask by his butler.

Sir James Abernethy therefore concluded that Sodomhall School had to be better than Eton in respect of ensuring the moral welfare of the pupils.

How wrong could a man be?

Chapter 14
Newts

(Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, early January 1803)

"Are you sure, Abernethy, that you want to board here and not at some more prestigious school?" asked Dr. Strappem, whilst sipping his tea. The Headmaster still could not believe his luck in attracting such a star pupil to his own humble educational establishment. In his opinion, young James' stellar status did not just come from his wealthy aristocratic background and obvious superior intelligence but also from the fact that the red-headed 10 year-old boy was extremely pretty.

Red-headed boys were not usually an attraction to Dr. Strappem, who generally preferred blondes and brunettes. However, the Headmaster was more than happy to make an exception of young James Abernethy. Physically and sexually abusing a child of such a noble background would also add to the fun to be gained from the 10 year-old's body.

Nevertheless, Dr. Strappem was a cautious man and, as with his other catamites, such as Brown T, he always followed a pre-planned grooming process to lure, quite literally, such select boys into his arms. The Headmaster had already decided that he would take extra care with the young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy.

"Absolutely, Headmaster," James answered in his posh accent, whilst displaying his sweet disarming smile, "and I am really looking forward to being educated here!" Dr. Strappem grinned in return on hearing this reply, appreciating that the boy would learn much more than he currently envisaged, especially in practical human biology, such as how to suck a man's cock to give the recipient of such attention the maximum pleasure.

"But, Abernethy, we do things a little differently here," advised Dr. Strappem in secret amusement, "compared with most other boarding schools. You and your father might not approve of some of our, er, practices."

"I am sure, Headmaster, that any differences are for the common good," James replied, "and anyway I have made my decision, which has full parental support. I am definitely therefore here to stay for almost nine years for better or worse, especially as you have kindly already agreed to the one precondition imposed by my father, namely that I am to be allowed to join the dorm and form shared by Brown T, West and Morton."

Dr. Strappem again grinned. The Headmaster appreciated that James' expressed 'common good' arising from the differences in school practices were not exactly enjoyed by the pupils but rather the reverse. The benefits actually only accrued to the sadistic pederasts, like him and his staff, who had full rein to do virtually anything with the almost 700 boys in their so-called care. He also realised that young Abernethy would not take long to recognise that his stay would not be 'for better'. However, by that time, the boy would have been irretrievably ensnared in Sodomhall life.

(Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, a few hours later)

James had received the customary introduction to the school from the Headboy, Flashmember, including the assignment of his house and dormitory, shared with Tom, Christopher and Jonathan amongst others, and uniform. His associated new black shorts, as usual for all junior pupils, were brief and tight so that the curves of his cute bottom were obvious and as much of his lithe legs as possible were open to view.

Flashmember was now standing by the multiple central stocks in the main quadrangle, holding the customary long cane in his right hand. The Headboy's mouth dried and his cock became hard as he observed the approach of the delectable red-headed newcomer, who was currently dressed only in his brief tight white gym shorts in readiness for the traditional ceremony of initiation into life at Sodomhall School.

Nevertheless, Flashmember somehow managed to compose himself sufficiently to say "Welcome, Abernethy, to the first part of your initiation into school life. As you know, the second, spending the night naked in the woods, has been deferred and will take place later in the year in spring, as we don't want you freezing to death!"

James had already been appraised of these strange initiation rites by Tom before he had arrived to board at Sodomhall. His friend had hoped that this further revelation about school life might finally dissuade the boy from becoming a pupil.

James had, however, simply suggested, not without foundation, "I am sure that all schools have similar strange initiation rites." The determined boy then added "As I have said before, I am no coward. I therefore refuse to be put off boarding at Sodomhall because of such challenges, especially as you, Tom, with Christopher and Jonathan, have already bravely faced them!"

Flashmember now went on to explain the race rules to James, who was beginning to shiver in the external wintry chill, by advising "You are to divest yourself of your shorts. Starting in the northwest corner of the quad, you will then, at my signal, run naked and clockwise around the surrounding path. If you step onto the grass, you will automatically lose. As you're the only new boy, or 'newt' as we nickname such a chap, this term, you'll have to race alone and the challenge will be to make 10, commensurate with your age, circuits before the school clock strikes the quarter hour."

Flashmember cruelly intended to time the race to start at five past the hour. He fully appreciated that even the most accomplished adult athlete would have difficulty in running just one rectangular circuit of the large quadrangle in a minute.

Flashmember therefore realised that the challenge of running 10 circuits in 10 minutes was virtually impossible for a young boy. However, his motive for wanting the latest exceptionally pretty 'newt' to fail was evident by his next statement.

"If you fail," Flashmember happily announced, "you'll be placed naked in the stocks to receive 10 strokes, also commensurate with your age, of my cane across your bare backside. Any questions?"

Further evidence of Flashmember's motivation was actually currently evident in his trousers, where his hidden erection was throbbing. Such a phenomenon was matched within the garments of many of the spectators peering down from the windows all around.

"I have no questions, Sir," James answered in response to Flashmember's enquiry, with nervousness as well as politeness evident in his posh but angelic soprano voice. "Good," commented the Headboy before instructing "so now remove your shorts, give them to your dormleader and assume your starting position!"

James moved his hands to both sides of his shorts but then hesitated to proceed further, being acutely aware of the many eyes fixed on him. "Hurry up, as we haven't got all day and you've got nothing underneath your garment that I and anyone else watching hasn't seen before!" Flashmember consequently ordered impatiently, as he had had to do twice previously on such occasions.

Flashmember, as the new Headboy, had earlier had the honour of supervising the initiation of other 10 year-old 'newts' when the bulk had begun life at Sodomhall School at the start of the previous term and subsequently when the late arrivals, Brown T and West, had appeared. Doing so again with young James Abernethy was an unexpected but very pleasant bonus to his yearlong tenure of office.

James blushed but he nevertheless reluctantly finally complied with Flashmember's command and pushed downwards on the sides of his shorts, which slowly slid down his lithe loins. When the boy's delightfully proportioned and smooth genitals eventually popped into view, one of the members of staff, watching alone at the window of his rooms above with his own erect cock in his hands, immediately orgasmed.

Currently ignorant of the effect that the sight of his beautiful and now naked body was having on some of the spectators, James next walked gingerly across the quadrangle grass to the required starting position, where a white line had been painted across the path just before the corner. As the nude boy proceeded, he shyly kept his hands carefully in front of his genitals.

Flashmember followed the increasingly shivering James. The throbbing of the Headboy's own hidden erection intensified at the view he now had of the naked younger boy's lustrous virgin posterior.

Nevertheless, Flashmember had composed himself sufficiently by the time that he and James had reached the starting position to be able to advise the boy "I shall hold the cane in the air, Abernethy, and when I bring it down again, you can start your race against the clock!" The Headboy then raised the cruel implement as he had said he would and commanded "Ready!"

Flashmember was happy to observe that James was now compelled to remove the shielding afforded by his hands to his delightful hairless genitals in order to assume the requisite starting posture. The Headboy was even more pleased to note that the boy's small slim cock was somehow semi-hard.

"Steady," Flashmember next instructed, despite further drying of his throat caused by the delicious sight of James' incongruously excited genitals. The Headboy then brought his cane down and ordered "Go!"

James now showed that he not only had accepted the initiation challenge but also was making a real attempt to succeed, as he ran round the large quadrangle with as much speed as he could summon. The naked boy's efforts were boosted by loud cheering from many of the hundreds of exclusively male spectators, a few of whom actually wanted the 'newt' to win the race against the clock.

Amongst James' most vociferous supporters were, of course, Tom, Christopher and Jonathan. However, most of the cheering actually emanated from lips expressing happiness at the sight of a naked pretty boy running in an obviously doomed attempt to avoid being caned, and in eager anticipation of watching the 10 year-old failing and then being beaten.

Unfortunately for James, the desires of the majority of spectators were met. The naked boy had only completed a meritorious but sadly unsuccessful 8½ circuits when, to an increase in cheering from above, the school clock chimed the quarter-hour.

Flashmember immediately ordered the almost breathless and deeply disappointed and now frightened James to stop running and to walk instead towards the middle of the quadrangle. The Headboy advanced there too to lift up the top of one of the wooden stocks on its side-hinges.

Flashmember subsequently happily instructed the arriving James to place his head and wrists in the relevant narrow semicircles on the lower part of the stocks. The naked boy, who was now shivering with fright rather than cold because his lovely body had warmed considerably during his recent hectic run, reluctantly complied.

After James had obeyed to attain the required degrading stance, Flashmember lowered the top of the stocks and locked it in place, now to accompanying laughter from all around. The naked 10 year-old subsequently found that his head and hands were securely and irretrievably encased in the circular holes of the wooden apparatus, whilst he was slightly bent over, with his bare bottom nicely presented for punishment.

Flashmember next tied James' ankles, with pieces of rope produced from one of his pockets, to metal rings embedded in the stocks' wooden base, so that the naked boy's feet were about 30 inches apart. The Headboy then assumed his own requisite position, necessary to inflict agonising chastisement on another young 'newt'.

Flashmember, however, first cruelly tormented James by rubbing his cane up and down the sublime curves of the boy's bare bottom. The Headboy was simultaneously interested to note that the 10 year-old's little cock, which dangled nicely between his splayed legs, had now not only somehow been stimulated into full erection but also quivered visibly at the feel of the slender wooden instrument of imminent painful punishment caressing his lovely buttocks.

Flashmember would have liked to torment James for longer but a torrent of shouts from all around now repetitively demanded "Beat him!" The Headboy immediately felt obliged to grant what the bulk of the spectators were requesting.

Flashmember therefore temporarily withdrew his cane from James' bottom to a position high in the air, from where he intended that the wooden implement would soon fly back onto the boy's vulnerable flesh, this time with vicious and excruciating speed and venom. In anticipation of launching his strike, the Headboy teasingly repeated Ready……..steady…….."

James, who was currently only vaguely aware of a strange tingling in his groin and completely ignorant of the embarrassing cause, namely the development of an erection, clenched his bumcheeks tightly in order to try to prepare the delightful curvature to endure the imminent inevitably agonising shock. The naked boy had previously occasionally been spanked by his disciplinarian father for naughtiness but only with a hand applied to a covered posterior. Such chastisement had been both embarrassing and hurtful but the 10 year-old appreciated that what he was about to experience would be much more humiliating and anguishing. However, he was determined to face this latest challenge with as much bravery as he could. He did not want to shame himself by crying or shrieking too much, especially as other pupils, including his friends, Tom and Christopher, had courageously suffered here similarly.

James heard Flashmember finally shout "Go!" The naked boy then heard a loud whooshing sound, as the Headboy's cruel cane flew through the air.

James next experienced pain of unprecedented intensity, as the cane struck his bottom. The agony momentarily caused not only his buttocks to believe that they were excruciatingly ablaze but also his whole body to reverberate throughout with an acutely anguishing aftershock. Consequently, the naked boy could not prevent his original brave intentions from being thwarted. His sensuous brown eyes burst into copious tears and his sweet rosy lips emitted a loud distressed yelp, which was drowned by the sound of renewed vociferous cheering from all around.

James' original brave intentions were also sabotaged when the second accurate venomous blow from Flashmember's cane caused him to beg of the Headboy, between tearful sobs, "Please….Sir….don't….hit….me….anymore….as….I….can' t….take….a nymore!"

"Don't be silly, Abernethy," Flashmember retorted, as he raised his cane back into the air in readiness to inflict the third harsh blow onto James' bottom, which was now besmirched by two parallel vivid red stripes. "You can and will take more," the Headboy advised, "and, in fact, one more on top of the original ten for speaking without permission and another for being so cowardly!"

"You must also realise, Abernethy," Flashmember added, as he launched his third nasty strike, aimed accurately at James' buttocks, "that you'll undoubtedly receive many similar and some far worse punishments over the next nine years!" The Headboy then reinforced his point by landing his third excruciating blow on the boy's bare bottom.

James' original brave spirit now simply disappeared amidst an embarrassing exhibition of copious tears and loud shrieking, as Flashmember happily proceeded with the rest of the boy's punishment with his accustomed deliberation. The Headboy also now prolonged the gaps between each strike from his cane because he wanted the latest 'newt' to be chastised by him to appreciate fully every single blow. He was also aiming to decorate the lovely bottom before him with a neat pattern comprising a dozen parallel scarlet stripes.

The school clock had already chimed the half-hour by the time that Flashmember had accomplished his, for him, very pleasant task. He then gave his cane to the glum and sorrowful Jonathan, who had remained nearby and had been appalled at what had just been perpetrated on his new friend.

Flashmember next ran his fingers over his handiwork. The Headboy particularly enjoyed feeling the heat present all over the lovely pained buttocks in question.

"I'll leave you now," Flashmember eventually informed James, after finally reluctantly withdrawing his fingers from the boy's now striped bare bottom, "so that you can cool down after your excitement. While I'm gone, you'll probably find that some of the staff might just happen to stroll across the quad. They're sure to take the opportunity to introduce themselves to you. See you later!"

Flashmember then strode off with a reluctant Jonathan. The latter dormleader astutely realised that he was about to be appointed to the job of quickly satisfying the Headboy's accumulated sexual need.

Meanwhile, the still quietly sobbing James, humiliatingly marooned naked and in pain in the stocks in the middle of the quadrangle whilst being ogled by many eyes, was finally beginning to reconsider the wisdom of his decision to be a boarder at Sodomhall School. However, the hurting but proud boy also realised that he could not in honour now seek to change his mind, although the sound of adult feet currently approaching eagerly from behind sorely tempted him to want to do so.

Chapter 15
Birthdays

(Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, early January 1803)

"The young patrician buttocks also obviously deserve a blue- blooded cock thrust up between them," the second voice crudely added, "but, as there's nobody else of noble lineage besides this boy at the school, he'll have to content himself instead with a plebeian purple-veined one." The two men enjoying this conversation, which was naturally acutely humiliating for James, now burst into loud laughter. Meanwhile, the tears of the young subject of their chatter, which had previously been drying up, again started to flow copiously because of both his intense shame and the increased pain resulting from the fondling of his hurting bottom.

James also began to panic that the sexual abuse by adults, which Tom had warned him about in order to try to dissuade him from enrolling at Sodomhall School, might be about to begin. However, the boy need not have been concerned yet because both of the adults currently behind him appreciated that the honour of deflowering the aristocratic 'newt' was reserved for the Headmaster, Dr. Strappem.

James himself quickly realised that his panic was unnecessary when the laughter behind him began to lessen in volume, as the relevant chortling mouths retreated from him to return to the warmth of the school buildings. However, the extremely pretty 10 year-old red-haired boy was not left alone for long, as his vulnerable naked body was to be visited briefly over the next hour by most of the curious adult staff, who were exclusively male.

Some of the men, who were mainly in small groups, revealed themselves to James by not only remaining behind him but also walking around him, apparently wanting to view his delectable bare body from all angles. The accompanying comments of several of them now caused the boy to realise what had produced the strange tingling sensation in his groin when being caned by Flashmember.

"Look, the brat's cock is still hard," was a typical comment. "Yes, I noticed that he became erect when being caned," was another. "It's funny how many of our boys become sexually excited by their beatings," was a third. "It appears that the phenomenon applies as much to the aristocracy as to those from humbler backgrounds," was a fourth.

James' facial hue became even redder on hearing such humiliating comments about his unruly cock. However, the boy's penis refused to soften in reaction to the remarks but instead remained resolutely erect, as if proud of being the subject of such statements.

The ill-disciplined reaction of James' cock was certainly partly due to other more complimentary comments made about him, often to accompanying fondling. Yet more adult fingers gently stroked his sore bottom, with the occasional digit even carefully feeling his delicate virginal sphincter. His completely smooth aroused genitalia were also given frequent manual attention, with remarks regularly made about their shape and size. The general adult consensus was that his sexual organs were pleasantly proportioned for his age, and that overall he was a very pretty boy.

Although James did not realise yet, the ill-disciplined reaction of his cock was partly due to his fast maturing sexual character. Despite his outward acute shame, somewhere deep within his burgeoning psyche were narcissistic personal perception and pride of his blossoming beauty and a related desire for his comeliness to be recognised, lauded and even enjoyed by others.

James' cock only eventually began to soften when the chill of the dark January evening began to overwhelm his naked body. The cold finally caused his penis to return to flaccidity and Flashmember to despatch Jonathan to release the boy from the stocks before he froze to death.

Shortly afterwards, James was in the dormitory that he shared with, amongst others, Tom, Christopher and Jonathan. However, he had still not redressed.

Tom had instead insisted that James lay face down on his bunk, whilst ointment was applied to his comprehensively striped and still hurting bottom. Only afterwards was he allowed to cover himself with his bedclothes.

Later, after lights out, Tom, whose bed was now flanked by that of James and Christopher, asked in whisper of his new aristocratic friend, whilst lying facing him, "Don't you now deeply regret enrolling as a boarder at Sodomhall School?" However, the young heir to the Abernethy Baronetcy, whose pride as well as bottom still hurt, did not immediately answer.

James contemplated Tom's question briefly before confessing truthfully in whisper "I did, old bean, when I was being caned, and later humiliated by the staff. However, after returning to the dormitory, my regret quickly disappeared to be replaced by gratitude."

"You see, old bean," James continued in his posh accent, "my gratitude for being permanently here with you, Christopher and Jonathan outweighs my regret about enduring the indignities that all pupils of Sodomhall School apparently suffer. I might not like the abuse but sharing such torment with you is a worthwhile price for ending my previous loneliness to enjoy instead your friendship."

James added, whilst simultaneously providing evidence for the high quality of the earlier education that he had received at home from his private tutor as well as his own intelligence, "As Francis Bacon once said: 'The worst solitude is to be destitute of sincere friendship'!"

(Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, 2 months later, early March 1803)

In fact, as a result of their shared sufferings, the friendship between James, Tom, Christopher and Jonathan became even closer so that they eventually became known amongst their fellow pupils as the 'Inseparable Four'. The quartet also regularly sought solace for any humiliation and hurt endured by repeating between themselves what had become their personal motto, namely 'The worst solitude is to be destitute of sincere friendship'.

Unfortunately, not all pupils were as gregarious or stalwart as Tom, Christopher, Jonathan and James, all of whom were rapidly approaching their 11th birthdays. Some others were quiet shy loners, who found close friendships impossible to acquire, often because of the psychological traumas caused by being dumped at Sodomhall School by uncaring parents or guardians and the subsequent abuse suffered.

Some pupils even became obsessed with the idea of somehow escaping to a new life, despite the unlikelihood of success. Most boys had no proper place of safety to run away to, even if they managed to flee the unfriendly moorland and forest environs of Sodomhall School. In an era before the advent of railways, land transport systems were very slow, being reliant on poorly maintained roads and canals. Travelling alone was also not recommended, as robbers and thugs roamed many highways looking for victims. Even if a centre of population was reached, only the dreaded appalling orphanages and poorhouses represented realistic abodes for vagabond children and the main alternative of living as homeless street urchins was therefore frequently preferred.

Some pupils still attempted to run away but none had so far succeeded. Their unauthorised absence would be quickly spotted during the regular roll-calls and well practised efficient searches would immediately be launched for the errant boys. The hounds that had almost cost Tom a lot of trouble would aid the hunt, as would many of the local country people, some of whose livelihoods and sexual pleasures stemmed from the existence of Sodomhall School in their remote part of Northumberland. Their attitude to young escapees was also coloured by the fact that they knew that a reward would be on offer for recapture.

Nevertheless, some deeply lonely and unhappy boys still dreamt of escaping to a new life and one of these was Jones D, who shared both the class and dormitory of Tom, Christopher, Jonathan and James and whose initial represented his first name of Daniel. The pretty fair-haired blue-eyed boy had also recently been groomed to be the latest young catamite of his lecherous and cruel form- master, Mr. Younglove.

Daniel strongly disliked his relationship with Mr. Younglove, not least because he hated the inherent sex, which still hurt him both mentally and physically. Consequently, he proved melancholically clumsy at providing the cruel form-master with his required pleasures and the sadistic man therefore frequently beat the boy for his sullen ineptitude.

Daniel was also the first in his dormitory of first-year pupils to approach his 11th birthday, and by now he knew how the occasion was to be degradingly celebrated according to school tradition. In fact, this factor turned the boy's dispirited reluctant acceptance of his sad lot to sudden brave but rather foolhardy determination that he must do something to avoid not only the impending demeaning ritual but also the misery of his whole life at the educational establishment.

Daniel decided to run away and attempt to be the first to succeed in doing so. The boy's plan entailed trying to reach by far the biggest centre of population in the region, namely the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which was renowned for exporting Northumberland coal, mainly by ship, to the rest of Britain.

The presence of the local coal industry was twenty years later to encourage the famous engineer, George Stephenson, to establish his iron works here. He would subsequently build there the locomotives for the world's first railway, namely the industrial link between nearby Stockton and Darlington, and design the 'Rocket' for the first passenger line between Liverpool and Manchester.

The nascent railways were, in fact, also later to form a major part of Daniel's future. However, the very idea of trains, let alone his role in their development, rather naturally did not currently achieve prominence in his distressed mind. He instead became entirely focused on the notion of running away to Newcastle but not to live in an orphanage or poorhouse or become a street urchin.

Daniel was too imaginative to harbour such low ambitions. He instead planned to try to become a cabin-boy on one of the many sailing ships that traded from Newcastle.

Most of these ships were, of course, relatively small coastal colliers carrying coal to other British ports. However, Daniel was more ambitious, as he dreamt of becoming a cabin-boy on a mightier vessel that plied the Seven Seas and would take him on adventurous trading voyages to exotic faraway lands.

Daniel was actually dreaming of such an exotic place when a Prefect arrived before dawn to wake up the boy's dormitory for another unattractive day at Sodomhall School.

(Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, a few days later)

For example, at Charterhouse, those with a crush are for obscure reasons called 'Bijous'. Amongst the former pupils of this school were John Wesley, founder of Methodism, William Thackeray, author of 'Vanity Fair', Roger Williams, establisher of Rhode Island, Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, and the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and writer Robert Graves.

Meanwhile, at Radley, attended by the late Desmond Llewelyn, who played 'Q' in many James Bond films, and Shrewsbury, which boasts Charles Darwin as an alumnus, those fancied are respectively 'Stiggs' and 'Douds'. At Sedbergh, famous for producing several renowned English Rugby Union internationals, those studying German discerningly and discreetly call those to whom they are attracted 'Lustknabes'.

At Harrow, whose alumni include seven British Prime Ministers, most notably Winston Churchill, 'Whizz Kids' are junior boys who are especially attractive because of their girlish looks. At Lancing, whose ex-pupils include William Tynedale, first translator of the Bible into English, the poet John Donne, philosopher Thomas Hobbes, author Jonathan Swift and more modern writer Evelyn Waugh, the 'Ding List' records the best looking pupils in the school. At Fettes, attended by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, any younger boys who are particularly keen on sex with others are called 'Cherubs'.

At Framlington, attended by the science fiction writer Brian Aldiss, a 'Crate' is the junior partner in any relationship. At Wellington, where the former world Grand Prix motor racing champion, the late James Hunt, was a pupil, the actual sexual crush is called a 'Patch'. At Oundle, where the director of such films as 'A Fish Called Wanda', Charles Crichton, was an alumnus, 'X o'clock in the sewing room' is code for the time of night for a sexual rendezvous in the usual location.

Daniel, however, was not on this night extracting himself from his bed to indulge in such a liaison. The boy sadly had no friends with whom he would involve himself in such a way and he was instead making his desperate attempt to escape from Sodomhall School.

By the evening before Daniel's 11th birthday, the boy, not wanting to be at Sodomhall School to celebrate the anniversary in the customary degrading manner, had decided how he intended to escape. After lights out, he crept out of his bed in the dormitory, silently redressed and left the room without alerting any of the other pupils. They were all sleeping soundly after another ultimately exhausting day at the remote educational establishment.

Daniel subsequently crept silently along the lengthy and currently quiet external corridors to arrive eventually at the one of the doors to the outside world. The boy was aided in doing so by the fact that the school was never patrolled at night.

There were no guards and no staff member or prefect was going to lose sleep over attempting to prevent the escape of pupils, which was an event that was extremely rare and anyway had never yet resulted in success. Burglars were also disregarded as a threat because of the school's isolation and the fact that there was little to steal of real worth that could be readily taken away and re-sold.

Daniel opened the unlocked door, which caused him to make his first noticeable noise since he had vacated his bed, namely a loud creak. Fortunately, such sounds were not uncommon within the huge main school building because of the constant draughts that permeated the establishment as a result of the place's exposure to the regular winds blowing from the surrounding bleak moorland, even in decent weather.

Consequently, the creak would be dismissed by anyone who had heard the noise at such a time as being of non-human origin. Daniel could therefore open the door fully, move outside and close the entrance again with confidence at avoiding detection before scurrying across the school playing field in the direction of Sodomhall village.

The run across the playing field represented Daniel's first real major danger because, if any insomniac cared to glance out of his window, the boy's flight might be observed. However, he was on this night aided by thick cloud covering a waning moon, which rendered outdoors very dark and made such detection unlikely even if some sleepless person was indeed looking outside.

In the event, Daniel judged that he had reached the relative security of the woods fringing the playing field apparently without being noticed. The boy's assessment arose from the facts that no lights had appeared at any of the school windows and no alarm had been raised, at least of the kind that was audible in his current location.

Nevertheless, Daniel delayed awhile at the edge of the woods to ensure that no unwelcome development occurred. The boy stayed there for about five minutes, although in his current emotional state, comprising a mix of fear and excitement, the time seemed far longer.

Whilst Daniel stood awaiting developments, his apprehensions were not aided by the sounds of the English countryside at night around him. There was the common eerie hooting of the owls but what most discomforted the boy were the frequent rustlings on the ground and in the branches of the trees in the wood behind.

The rustlings were actually made by rather innocent nocturnal animals such as badgers, foxes and the owls but Daniel did not know this. The boy's imagination instead conjured up all sorts of monsters of the night that could be disturbing the silence but such scared speculation was in fact only correct in respect of one creature.

Nocturnal bats made some of the rustlings in the trees above him. These essentially harmless but to Daniel frightening flying creatures had emerged from their daytime sleeping abodes in the likes of the nearby school bell-tower to feed.

Nevertheless, despite being scared of the rustlings and what they might represent, Daniel stood his ground. The boy's desperation to escape from Sodomhall School stimulated his courage and overcame his fears that monsters of the night might be nearby and stalking him.

After finally satisfying himself that his departure from the school had not been detected during this initial phase of his flight, Daniel's desperation and resultant courage even enabled him to venture deeper into the blackness of the wood. The boy appreciated that the narrow road to Sodomhall village was about 200 yards away on the other side and he was now determined to reach the lane quickly to make good his escape.

The alternative route was to take the long path from the school through the main gate to the road. However, Daniel considered that the chance of detection made this option too dangerous.

The blackness inside the dense wood really was intense and Daniel could not actually see where he was going. The waning moon above, obscured by cloud, which had aided the boy's flight across the school playing field, was now a hindrance.

Daniel consequently advanced essentially blindly and therefore slowly, carefully feeling his away amongst the intense blackness with outstretched arms in order to try to avoid the trees, bushes and other obstacles. The boy was frequently not successful in securing a suitable path.

Daniel often stumbled into a tree trunk or bush or a low branch. The boy also tripped several times over exposed roots and the like. He even had to retreat a couple of times when the going appeared impossible in order to find a better route, whilst wondering whether taking the school path might have in retrospect been better.

Daniel nevertheless persevered, judging once he had reached about halfway that retreat was no longer a sensible option. The boy was rewarded when he eventually literally stumbled onto the road, having just tripped over another tree root.

By this time, Daniel's school uniform had been torn in several places and his exposed face, hands and legs displayed some cuts and bruises. However, retreat back to the relative comfort and safety of his bed in Sodomhall School was unthinkable now that he had come this far and the boy instead began to run along the road towards the local village.

The use of the term 'road' for the narrow lane linking Sodomhall School to the nearest eponymous village was actually a bit of a misnomer. Uneven muddy track, rutted by cartwheels and regularly soiled by horse and donkey manure, was a more apt description.

This nature of the road, allied to the night darkness, consequently caused Daniel to stumble and fall on several more occasions as he ran along the lane. As a result, the boy's school uniform and the exposed bits of his normally delightful body were not only damaged by the time that he eventually reached the outskirts of Sodomhall village but also despoiled by smelly mud and animal muck.

On reaching Sodomhall village, Daniel tried to scrape with his hands as much of this mess off him as possible but without much success. The boy therefore gave up the attempt in favour of awaiting what he had chosen as his ultimate method of escape to Newcastle.

Daniel awaited the appearance behind the low wall that surrounded the village churchyard, in the process somehow ignoring the scary proximity of many gravestones. The boy appreciated that his unexpectedly long escapade in the wood had delayed him and worried that perhaps consequently he might have missed his chosen method of flight, as by now the dawn of his 11th birthday had arrived.

Daniel appreciated that, back at Sodomhall School, the pupils with whom he had shared a dormitory would now be awakened in readiness for their daily morning run by the assigned Prefect. The boy realised that his absence might then be recognised by his fellow 10 year-olds.

Daniel, however, trusted that, in such circumstances, the pupils with whom he had shared a dormitory and their assigned Prefect would simply assume that he had spent the night with Mr. Younglove. The boy also hoped that his subsequent absence from the morning run and the later ablutions, redressing and breakfast would also be ascribed to the same reason.

If such hopes were met, Daniel's flight should remain undetected for about another couple of hours until his form assembled in their classroom and Mr. Younglove conducted the morning roll-call. Only now would the alarm be raised but, if the boy's escape had gone to plan, by then he should be miles away from Sodomhall School.

Daniel's worries about possible trouble with his escape plan soon proved unfounded when he heard the rumbling of cartwheels on the nearby road. The boy's now dishevelled head immediately popped carefully above the church wall for his blue eyes to confirm the arrival of his chosen method of flight.

Farmer Allcock's daily milk wagon was rumbling along the road, at the beginning of the long journey to make deliveries in distant Newcastle. The back of the open cart was full of churns, containing the latest fresh product of the local cows.

Daniel waited until the wagon had passed and then scrambled over the wall and, as niftily and silently as possible, climbed into the back and hid amongst the tall churns.

(Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, 2 hours later)

The subsequent silence immediately induced Mr. Younglove to rush from his classroom to alert the Headmaster, Dr. Strappem, about the possibility that another attempt to run away from his precious school might have been made by an errant pupil.

(Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, next morning)

Despite Daniel's disappearance and concerns for the missing boy's welfare, all of the remaining pupils in his dormitory were determined to commemorate the highly popular Tom's birthday in a proper manner. Their resolve was maintained regardless of the fact that all of them felt rather guilty too.

All of the dormitory members had recognised Daniel as desolate and sad and some, most notably Tom, had tried to befriend and cheer him but unsuccessfully. The boy had resisted all attempts to bring him out of his morose depression, apparently preferring to remain an unhappy loner.

All of the dormitory members, especially Tom, also now wished that they had made stronger efforts to end Daniel's friendless isolation. After all, the boy had, as an obvious result of his mental condition, undertaken his desperate attempt at flight and now faced severe punishment if returned to Sodomhall School or surely a dangerously uncertain but probably base future if he somehow remained a fugitive.

Tom, who turned 11 years old on the day after Daniel, discovered what his birthday surprise was when Jonathan, in his role as dorm-leader, lifted a towel off his friend's bed to reveal the presents that the other dormitory members were offering to the popular boy. Given the pupils' general poverty, most of the gifts were nothing special and second- hand. However, they still represented possessions to be desired and personal sacrifices and were therefore cherished by the recipient.

Amongst the gifts were marbles, a sling-shot, an old but still usable cricket ball, a bat for the same sport with a wobbly handle and a pair of mittens. There was also a toy soldier, which was to prove to be a rather prescient symbol as far as Tom was concerned.

Christopher's gift was an old and well-leafed but to him precious journal entitled 'Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World'. First published 77 years previously in 1726 and supposedly written by Lemuel Gulliver, this satire's author was actually Jonathan Swift and the work is better known in modern times as 'Gulliver's Travels'.

Jonathan's special gift was a stringed horse-chestnut. His prize conker had previously victoriously survived many fun battles and, in Tom's proud and skilled possession, would continue to do so, including in combat against the previous owner.

As befitted a young aristocrat, James' gift was the definitely most valuable in financial terms and had actually been delivered to the school from Abernethy Hall by his father's butler. However, despite this present's monetary worth, Tom rightly considered each of his birthday offerings to have equal merit, given the different circumstances of the boys concerned.

James' gift was a large hamper containing sumptuous foods, which his father's butler felt duty-bound to supply on receiving the relevant request to avoid any eventual complaint about the matter from the boy to his currently absent father. For a similar reason, Dr. Strappem had ordered the delivery to be allowed to proceed without challenge or plunder.

On viewing the gift, the generous Tom immediately invited all of his fellow dormitory members, as they had hoped, to share the hamper with him at a midnight feast to celebrate his birthday. The subsequent cheering only subsided when the school clock chimed to advise the boys, who were currently dressed just in their skimpy briefs after their ablutions, that there were a mere fifteen minutes left to redress and groom before arriving in the hall for breakfast.

As Tom subsequently put his school uniform on and combed his hair and polished his shoes, he wondered whether he would actually be in a state at midnight to enjoy some of his hamper, given what young birthday boys customarily had to do at Sodomhall School in formal celebration.

(Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, evening of the same day)

Excluded from the spectators above were Flashmember and Dr. Ballsoff, who were instead present with Tom in the quadrangle. The former, as current Headboy, was acting as 'master of ceremonies', whilst the school physician was there to record in a notebook certain empirical data revealed by the imminent ritual.

Also present in a line and similarly attired to Tom were the fifteen pupils from the young celebrant's Phaethon House who were in the more senior class of the year above that corresponded to his own. Most were looking rather abashed but were nevertheless clearly happier than the birthday boy.

The reason for the presence of this group of mainly 12 year- olds and their abashment was revealed when Flashmember, whilst holding his cane, ordered them to strip naked by removing their shorts. All of the boys quickly complied, despite the many sets of eyes humiliatingly focused on them from above. None wanted to earn the Headboy's wrath and the consequent undoubtedly painful feel of his implement of chastisement.

Most of the revealed pubescent genitalia were completely smooth, apart from a small minority, above which a few pubic hairs of advancing maturity had begun to appear. Some penises were also at least partly erect in apparent anticipation of what was to come.

"You now strip too, Brown T," Flashmember next commanded, "and commence your birthday celebration, proceeding along the line from left to right. Remember, if you vomit at any time, you will at the end be placed in the quadrangle stocks to receive eleven strokes, commensurate with your new age, of my cane across your bare bottom for defiling ritual!"

What the freshly naked Tom had to do whilst proceeding from left to right along the line of mainly 12 year-old nudes became evident when he knelt with reluctance but obedience before the first boy. He subsequently compliantly gathered the young standing pupil's cock into his mouth and began to suck.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ballsoff readied himself to detail in his notebook who, of the older recipients of such oral attention, produced semen when orgasm was eventually attained. The school physician liked to keep his medical records up-to-date, especially about which boys had become mature enough to ejaculate.

Chapter 16
Cellars

(Main Hall, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, March 1803)

"It is legal because I wish it!" Louis XIV had declared. Dr. Strappem considered that such a dictum was also very appropriate to his private fiefdom of Sodomhall School and his dominion there over nearly 700 boys.

Dr. Strappem knew that what he now proposed to do was against the law, even in early 19th century England. However, such realisation was not going to prevent him from following the late French King's dictum and securing punitive vengeance.

The usual post-breakfast school assembly was taking place in the main hall on the morning after Brown T's 11th birthday. Tom and the fellow members of his dormitory had eaten heartily of the first repast of the day, consuming all of their porridge despite its stodginess and their feasting at the previous midnight on the boy's gift from James, namely the sumptuous hamper.

The pupils' full consumption of the unappetising breakfast was evidence of the ravenous appetites common to growing boys, especially those living in boarding schools where the diet is adequate for health but restricted. Tom's clearing of his dish of porridge after feasting on the hamper was also proof of his own quick recuperative ability. After all, he had previously been forced to swallow a quantity of semen.

Fortunately for Tom, the quantity of semen swallowed had been insufficient to make him vomit, despite feeling rather sick after publicly sucking a fifteenth older pupil to climax. The birthday boy had therefore avoided being returned to the quadrangle stocks for a caning by Flashmember, much to the disappointment of the latter and many of the spectators.

Tom had been helped to achieve his feat by the fact that most English boys in the early 19th century matured later than their modern equivalents. Consequently, Dr. Ballsoff had recorded in his notebook that only six of the fifteen mainly 12 year-old pupils, who had been sucked to climax, had ejaculated at orgasm.

In order to ascertain this situation, Dr. Ballsoff had needed to recognise the advent of orgasm, which was rather easy because the relevant pupil's ecstatic expression invariably provided the necessary clue, and then required Tom to open his mouth. Evidence of any ejaculation would subsequently normally still be present on the birthday boy's tongue.

The theme of Dr. Strappem's customary monologue at the post- breakfast morning assembly was as usual religious. The Headmaster was, after all, a doctor of divinity and today he was concentrating on a certain Biblical book and the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the relevance of the tale for current school life.

In particular, Dr. Strappem rather disingenuously argued that the brave devotion that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had displayed towards God in face of the prospect of being thrown into the furnace of blazing fire should be replicated by the pupils in respect of their school. "I know that life here is not easy," the Headmaster advised, whilst for once being truthful if very understated, "but you boys must nevertheless exhibit steadfast loyalty towards Sodomhall irrespective of the difficulties."

"Unfortunately, not all of you do so," Dr. Strappem continued, "and shamefully one of these wicked miscreants is named after the Biblical book in which the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego appears." Turning towards a Prefect who was standing at the main door of the school hall, the Headmaster subsequently commanded "Bring the evildoer in!"

The Prefect concerned opened and shouted through the door, onto which all eyes now focused. They did not have long to wait to observe the arrival of the 'evildoer' in question.

A rather dirty, dishevelled and obviously terrified boy, whose hands were roped together behind his back, was soon dragged by two other Prefects into the hall and towards the platform on which Dr. Strappem was conveying his monologue. The 11 year-old concerned struggled but the strong older hands that held him resolutely clung onto their captive.

Consequently, the recaptured Daniel was soon standing next to Dr. Strappem on the platform, whilst still in the firm grip of the Prefects. The boy escapee's downfall had been tiredness, after spending much of a night in flight.

The man who was driving Farmer Allcock's milk wagon had discovered the sleeping Daniel amongst his churns on his eventual arrival in mid-afternoon in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The driver immediately appreciated what his unexpected extra load represented from the boy's uniform, as well as realised that a reward would be on offer for the child's return to Sodomhall School.

Despite early protestations from the awakened Daniel, which were quickly doused by a gag, the boy was therefore subsequently sent back to Sodomhall School but not before another day had elapsed. The time-consuming supply of milk to various places around Newcastle first had to be completed, with the now empty churns from previous deliveries collected.

The driver took the rest of the afternoon of Daniel's birthday and all of the following morning to complete his tasks. The intervening night was spent sleeping in his wagon, close to the boy, who was not molested.

The driver subsequently began the long journey back to his employer's farm in the early afternoon of Tom's birthday. He passed on the way Allcock's other milk wagon, which helped ensure the delivery of daily supplies to Newcastle.

On arrival back at Allcock's farm at dusk on the evening of this second day, Daniel was still immovably bound hand and foot in the rear of the wagon. The boy had been in this state since shortly after his discovery, although he was now alongside returned empty milk churns.

Farmer Allcock, who decided that the time was now too late in the day to return Daniel immediately to Sodomhall School, was as delighted as his wagon driver had been to discover the boy in the back of his vehicle, albeit not for financial reasons. He would, after all, let his employee keep the fiscal reward received for the child's return, although not through generosity.

Allcock would have liked a slice of the financial reward and could perhaps have insisted upon a share. His driver had, after all, discovered Daniel in the farmer's wagon and whilst working for him. However, he appreciated that he paid his employees little enough and so, in order to avoid unrest amongst his staff, he decided not to argue his case.

Anyway, Farmer Allcock thought, the gratitude of Dr. Strappem at Sodomhall School should be enough personal reward, particularly as the Headmaster would surely recognise his own contribution to Daniel's recapture and would probably subsequently express his thankfulness in kind rather than cash. After all, his relationship with the nearby educational establishment had always been close.

Much of the produce of Allcock's farm went to Sodomhall School, which represented a market of almost 700 people virtually on his doorstep. Dr. Strappem was a parsimonious payer but there were three main compensations for the resultant disappointing returns.

First, the costs of transporting Allcock's agricultural goods to more distant and lucrative markets, such as in Newcastle, which would probably anyway eradicate any increase in profits, did not have to be faced, except for his excess produce, such as his spare milk. Second, Dr. Strappem always paid his bills on time. Third, the Headmaster supplemented his cash payments by sending boys to help at busy periods on the farm, especially at harvest- time.

On such occasions, Allcock was afforded full control over the boys, including enforcement of discipline, which the sadistic man rather enjoyed. Dr. Strappem also never objected to the farmer taking one of the prettier pupils into his hayloft to perform rather personal intimate chores.

Because of this close relationship, Allcock correctly believed that Dr. Strappem would reward him in kind for his return of Daniel by despatching another pretty pupil to his farm to ask whether he wanted any chores performing in his hayloft. In fact, the currently unknowing chosen boy would receive his orders from the Headmaster immediately after the conclusion of the present morning assembly.

Daniel had actually been returned to Sodomhall School just before dawn on this day. On arrival, the boy had still been bound and gagged in the rear of Allcock's milk wagon, which was now on the way back to Newcastle with a fresh load of milk.

Dr. Strappem, being a very early riser, was already awake and dressed when news of Daniel's return reached him. The Headmaster duly generously gave the happy wagon driver several coins, his unusual munificence when settling a debt on this occasion being testament to his belief that rewards had to be good to encourage the local people to return boy escapees.

Dr. Strappem had also advised the driver, after placing Daniel, ankles now untied, in the custody of Prefects, "I'll send personal thanks to Farmer Allcock later!" The wagoner had immediately smiled, as he fully appreciated the form in which such gratitude would be expressed.

The driver had occasionally experienced such largesse himself in return for the odd favour in unofficially using his wagon to carry heavy items to the school from both the local village and Newcastle. The rear of his vehicle did not only transport goods but also, as a result of the tall wooden side panels and several layers of sacking placed on an emptied surface, was a reasonably discreet and comfortable location for intimate activity with a pretty boy.

Daniel, who was now standing in terror on the hall platform next to Dr. Strappem, had not been harmed or molested by the wagon driver or Farmer Allcock. Both men had appreciated that they needed the Headmaster's agreement to indulge in such abuse and so just contented themselves with returning the boy and then receiving their due rewards.

After raging about Daniel for several minutes, whilst frequently pointing in obvious anger towards the extremely frightened boy, Dr. Strappem eventually advised his petrified pupil of his fate. The Headmaster began to do so by initially quoting from the Bible.

"Appropriately, given the name of this evildoer, the Bible's Book of Daniel, verse 27, says," Dr. Strappem thundered, "'Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting.' However, instead of being cast like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace of blazing fire, you'll instead be thrown into the school cellars for a few weeks to receive there your just punishment!"

On hearing this sentence, a loud noise reverberated around the cavernous hall, which represented accumulated shocked gasps uttered from the mouths of many of the almost 700 watching pupils. Despite the fact that, for the nature of the offence, such punishment should not have been unexpected, the actual announcement of the most dreaded penance that the school offered nevertheless caused general consternation and horror.

Daniel himself reacted by bursting into tears and repetitively begging, despite realising that his entreaties would be useless, "No, please, Sir, no!" The boy's pessimistic presumption was soon proved correct when Dr. Stappem ignored his desperate pleas and instead ordered the Prefects holding the young failed escapee to take him to the feared cellars.

Only a few pupils had earned sufficient of Dr. Strappem's ire to be despatched to the dreaded cellars over the years, and they too were generally failed escapees. What the survivors later told about their usually very varied and prolonged sufferings there had quickly spread around the school, being distorted and exaggerated in the process to become essentially horrific legend.

There were even stories of some boys disappearing into the cellars never to be seen again. However, these tales invariably referred to times before the current pupils, even the Prefects, had started at Sodomhall School and so none could verify whether they were true or myth, and none of the staff ever spoke about the subject.

Amongst the sorrowful pupils watching poor Daniel being dragged away by the two burly Prefects to meet his immediate fate in the school cellars was Tom. The horrified and regretful boy, who was still partly blaming himself for the sad situation, immediately believed that his day could surely not become any worse after this terrible start.

Tom's belief was, of course, soon to be proved incorrect.

(Headmaster's Study, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, shortly afterwards)

"I want you, Brown T," Dr. Strappem next advised Tom, "to go on an errand to Mr. Allcock. I want you to offer the farmer your services for any chores he may have in his hayloft!"

(Allcock's Farm, near Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, shortly afterwards)

Consequently, Tom was completely unaware of what he was committing himself to after he had compliantly run all the way to Allcock's neighbouring farm, being eager to perform the mentioned chores as quickly and efficiently as possible to avoid trouble. The boy therefore knocked on the door of the man's house in continued complete innocence.

Allcock personally opened his farmhouse door to discover the exceptionally pretty Tom standing outside. Although the man immediately believed that he knew the reason for the child's visit, he nevertheless asked "What do you want, boy?"

"Please, Sir," Tom answered innocently and politely, "Dr. Strappem has sent me to offer my services for any chores you may have in your hayloft!" The farmer's face, which was in total contrast to that of the boy, being exceptionally ugly, immediately developed a smile that actually worsened his appearance, as the action caused his lips to open to reveal a mouth full of black and wizened teeth, with disgusting breath to match.

"I do indeed have chores for you to perform in my hayloft," the smiling Farmer Allcock replied to Tom, whose ignorance of the nature of the tasks was obvious to the lecherous farmer from his innocent facial expression. Such sweet naiveté considerably increased the fun of the situation for the cruel libidinous man, who was now very pleased to be in receipt of Dr. Strappem's reward for the return of Daniel, as anticipated not in cash but in kind.

"So let's go to my hayloft straight away so that I can show you what chores I want you to perform," Allcock added, whilst excitedly placing an arm around Tom's shoulders and beginning to guide the innocent unsuspecting boy across the farmyard to his barn.

(Cellars, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, same time)

Daniel had managed to slate his considerable thirst, which had been exacerbated when the effect of his recent lack of liquid refreshment had been worsened by wearing a gag for 1½ days. After having his hands untied and subsequently being stripped by the pair of escorting Prefects of his torn and soiled clothes on his arrival in the dreaded school cellars, the boy had had several pales of chilly water poured over him to cleanse his naked dirty body.

The experience was thoroughly unpleasant and left Daniel shivering with the cold. However, the boy had managed to swallow some of the water to quench his thirst.

During the chilling and humiliating process, Daniel made no attempt to escape. There were two reasons for his inaction.

First, the only door had been locked behind him by one of the Prefects after he, his colleague and the petrified boy in their custody had entered the dark dank windowless cellars, which were illuminated only by flaming wall- torches, recently kindled in readiness for the sinister place's latest young guest. He had subsequently placed the relevant big iron key securely in his pocket and Daniel had immediately sensibly realised that any attempt to flee could not possibly succeed in such circumstances and would only cause him more trouble.

Second, the young penitent, for whom the sinister cellars complex would be not only his home for several weeks but also his place of regular torment, had become so terrified on viewing the setting that both his mental and physical processes had virtually frozen. Daniel could see in the flickering torchlight that he was currently in a large vault, devoid of any furniture or fittings apart from those providing the illumination. However, presently in front of him, leading away from the only entrance door, was a long and broad corridor, flanked on both sides by similarly arched chambers or other passageways, some of which were fronted by prison-like metal bars.

Because of his angle of vision and the pervading gloom, Daniel could not ascertain what lay beyond the entrances to these vaulted chambers or passageways. However, the intelligent boy understood that there would be little that was pleasant, which only increased his terror.

Consequently, the traumatised Daniel was currently unable to react in any way other than passively let the Prefects do anything they wanted to him. What these 18 year-olds had been ordered to do next after cleansing their now naked young charge also now quickly became apparent and, in fact, to the terrified boy in his current emotional state, what they actually did could not have been worse.

The Prefects left the cold, shivering, soaking-wet Daniel naked and alone in the cellars, leaving through the only entrance, whilst taking the boy's clothes and locking the door behind them.

Chapter 17
Arches

(Cellars, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, March 1803)

Daniel's inaction was maintained for a while, as his trauma caused him to remain virtually motionless in terror at his circumstances. However, two factors eventually finally encouraged the naked boy to move and explore his new environment, which was very frightening to him not only because of the inherent nastiness but also because of what he would suffer here in punishment for attempting to flee Sodomhall School.

Daniel did not yet know what his chastisements would entail over the promised several weeks of incarceration in the dreadful place, although he had heard the appalling rumours about what previous inmates had encountered. However, the boy fully appreciated that the relevant punishments would not be nice but would instead be undoubtedly very unpleasant and painful.

The two factors that now encouraged Daniel finally to come out of his trauma and move were the chill pervading the cavernous windowless school cellars, which had begun to transfer to his now bare body, and the disturbing noises echoing around him. As far as the latter were concerned, the boy was not fearful of the loud sound of dripping water emerging from the many shadows created by the meagre lighting provided by the flaming wall-torches, which were sparse in number. His main worry was instead fixed on the regular rustlings that he heard.

Daniel initially wondered whether there were, after all, other persons present with him in the cellars, hiding in the shadows. Perhaps, he pondered, Dr. Strappem had somehow arrived via another entrance in readiness to inflict the first punishment but was currently intent on creeping up to scare him.

Daniel's petrified mind subsequently considered the potentially even worse possibility that there might be vagabonds camping in the cellars, who might like to do him harm. The boy's terrified mental processes then proceeded to contemplate the possibility of ghosts, as more rustling in the shadows was heard.

As a consequence, Daniel finally had to remove his hands from protecting his completely smooth hairless genitalia because his bladder had decided to empty in fright. Just as the resultant flow of urine began to hit the cold cobbled floor below, the boy finally noticed the first of the many rats that shared the cellars with him.

(Form 1B classroom, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, same time)

The noise emanated from the fact that most of the boys were chatting to other pupils located at neighbouring desks. Tom was as usual at such a time conversing with Christopher.

"We'll have to do something to help Daniel," Tom suggested, "because it's partly our fault that he's where he is now. We should have done more to befriend him and help him snap out of his melancholy, which undoubtedly caused him in desperation to try to run away." "But what can we sensibly do without putting ourselves in a lot of trouble?" Christopher asked rather reasonably, given that he could not think of any practical action that could be undertaken to aid the boy.

For once, the highly intelligent Tom was stumped for an answer. "I don't yet know," he therefore answered, "but I hope that I'll quickly think of something!"

Christopher was about to attempt to suggest to Tom in return that truly nothing could be sensibly done to help Daniel. He did not want his best friend to produce wild ideas that he was determined to pursue.

Knowing how determinedly brave, convincing and stubborn Tom could sometimes be, Christopher worried that he might also be persuaded against his better judgement to feel obliged to assist in an unwise and therefore highly dangerous venture, more out of loyalty than conviction and which ultimately led only to disaster. They could thereby then find themselves in the cellars with Daniel.

Christopher's attempt to dissuade Tom from contemplating such perilous plans was, however, thwarted by the arrival of Mr. Younglove in form 1B. All boys in the class immediately became silent and stood until their teacher took up his position at their head and gave them permission to sit in readiness for the first lesson of the day, which everyone knew was to be classical Greek.

Classical Greek was considered by most boys to be the worst of the subjects imposed upon them at Sodomhall School. The boring lessons involved the monotonous learning of not only a dead foreign language, which was of little use except to historians of the ancient world, but also a different alphabet. At least, the majority of pupils thought, the similarly defunct Latin tongue, which they were additionally required to study, used lettering that was akin to that of English.

The cruelly smirking Mr. Younglove instructed his now sitting pupils to open the book that they had recently been studying, to help learn both classical Greek and some ancient history, namely Herodotus' 'Histories', at a random place in part 6. As customarily, he subsequently invited a boy to translate and read out aloud a particular sentence.

Most of the other boys in class were invariably relieved not to be the first chosen. As the subsequent order of sentences to be addressed was always consecutive, they had time to look at and translate them in case Mr. Younglove called upon them to do so.

Anyone of the currently 36 pupils present who did not manage the feat had to go to the front of the class to receive from Mr. Younglove one stroke of the cane across the palm of his outstretched hand for a first offence. Second failures were rewarded by a similar harsh hit but across the boy's covered bottom. The school shorts and under-briefs of a young miscreant would have be lowered to the floor for similar chastisement, but now inflicted on bare buttocks, for later ineptitude, with the number of blows rising by one during each visit to the Form-master.

Mr. Younglove considered such ritual to be not only an incentive to good learning but also personally pleasurable, given his sexual sadism. A noticeable bulge inevitably appeared at the front of his trousers whenever he taught classical Greek in this manner.

Mr. Younglove also appreciated that he was expecting a lot of young boys of a mere 10 and 11 years of age to translate Herodotus' texts successfully after just about 6 months learning of classical Greek. Most of these 1st-year pupils had only been introduced to the difficult subject when they had first started at Sodomhall School in the previous September. However, the personal pleasure gained from beating knowledge of the topic into them was too good to resist.

In order to avoid the attentions of the cane, some desperate boys took the great risk of furtively lifting the lids of their school desks to extract from within their classical Greek dictionaries, which had been allocated to all of them. They hoped to use the books secretly to translate their allocated sentences.

Mr. Younglove was, however, always on the lookout for such cheating. As part of this process, the Form-master was on constant alert to espy the attempts to lift desk lids and sometimes strolled up and down the rows of pupils, looking for extracted dictionaries. The cruel teacher always gained immense pleasure from discovering any such book in the possession of a miscreant boy, as the due punishment was severe.

On any such discovery, Mr. Younglove would harshly grab the nearest ear of the miscreant boy and, whilst steadfastly maintaining his painful grip, encourage the naughty pupil to rise and follow him to the front of the class. Shorts and under-briefs would soon be resting on the floor, whilst a bare young bottom received strokes of the cane commensurate with double the child's age in years.

As a result, most boys were not tempted to cheat. They generally considered that the punishment for discovery was simply too harsh to risk, with the lesser penances for inept translation, although nasty, more acceptable.

When the rather tremulous Tom's turn came, most of his young predecessors' attempts to translate their sentences had failed and the sound of cane hitting juvenile palms, and the resultant squeals, had regularly echoed round the classroom. The boy looked down at his own words of Herodotus in classical Greek that he was supposed to read out in English, namely ''*************'.

Silence reigned in the classroom whilst Tom's mind glanced again at the ancient lettering, which he had already unsuccessfully studied. The very short sentence only comprised two classical Greek words but they were nevertheless difficult for a mere new 11 year-old to translate.

As Tom struggled to interpret the classical Greek words, he instinctively clinched his right hand, across the palm of which his worried mind considered that he could already feel the painful hit of a viciously but accurately delivered cane.

(Cellars, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, same time)

Daniel also recognised that the rats would probably be more scared of him than he was of them and that they should therefore cower away from him and leave him alone unless he threatened them. The naked boy therefore turned his attention to his other main current concern, namely the coldness invading his naked body.

Daniel appreciated that his first priority now had to be to attempt to find a source of warmth and this objective meant that he had to explore the cellars. The boy did not particularly want to venture any deeper into his new home from his current proximity to the entrance door but his mind, slowly recovering from his initial trauma, also realised that he had no choice if he was to avoid dying of the cold.

Daniel again identified in the flickering torchlight that the large vault in which he was currently standing was completely devoid of any furniture or fittings apart from those providing the illumination. The wall-torches would, of course, also supply heat but, for a boy of his age, they were out of reach.

Daniel's only hope in gaining urgent warmth was therefore to venture down the long and broad corridor, leading away from the entrance door. As the boy had already noticed, this was flanked on both sides by similar arched chambers or other passageways. Some of these were fronted by prison-like metal bars.

Because of his angle of vision and the pervading gloom, Daniel had so far been unable to ascertain what lay beyond the entrances to these vaulted chambers or passageways. The intelligent boy had also understood that there would probably be little there that was pleasant. However, these places represented the only possible sources of the warmth that his bare body, now visibly shivering and covered by goosepimples, desperately needed.

Consequently, Daniel, whose teeth also began to chatter through the pervading cold, started slowly to venture deeper into the cellars down the long, broad and increasingly dark corridor, whilst trying his best to ignore the scary rustling of the rats around him. Peculiarly, given his lonely circumstances, the naked boy's hands simultaneously returned to covering his shamefully exposed genitalia, which, equally strangely, started to exhibit signs of penile arousal.

(Form 1B classroom, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, same time)

Tom subsequently heard a discreet whisper from behind him and then said "You stir what you should not stir!"

(Cellars, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, same time)

In relief, Daniel was about to open the relevant barred door, which was retained in a closed position only by an unlocked bolt, to enter the vault to retrieve the blanket when he heard a rather incongruous noise. The sound was not that of dripping water or rustling rats but of something snoring.

Daniel stopped and next perceived that the snoring was emerging from under the blanket, which covered the unknown shape. The boy immediately wondered whether the form concerned might be another poor incarcerated pupil and so, after his initial brief hesitation, he rushed inside the vault to find out whether his theory was correct.

Daniel eventually recoiled when he lifted the blanket because underneath was a very big but scrawny and rather ugly and ferocious-looking hound, which thankfully remained soundly asleep and snoring, whilst exposing a mouth full of nasty fangs. The boy perceptively correctly realised that, judging from the giant dog's gaunt appearance, the famished creature was unlikely to be friendly if awoken and so he beat a hasty retreat to the corridor, bolting the barred door behind him.

Daniel did not fancy his, presumably to a clearly starving canine, tasty naked body being the means by which the hound gained some sustenance. However, despite the boy's fright, he did retain sufficient composure to leave the vault with the dirty blanket.

The blanket was full of holes as well as encrusted with filth. Nevertheless, Daniel immediately wrapped the cover around his shivering naked body and instantly began to feel the benefit.

The blanket cover quickly proved to be sufficient to retain much of Daniel's natural body heat and so the boy soon started to gain lifesaving warmth but this welcome development did not prevent further shivering. However, such fevered reaction now entirely resulted from the return of fright at what he might soon be facing.

Daniel had just looked inside the right-hand chamber, opposite to the one in which the somnolent hound still thankfully rested. This vault was full of torture apparatus.

(Form 1B classroom, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, same time)

Mr. Younglove's was also to be disappointed when he next moved on to challenge Christopher's ability to translate one of Herodotus' sentences. The boy was actually proving to be an excellent linguist and his discreet whisper had just saved the palm of his best friend, Tom, from being caned.

Christopher also hoped that Tom would consider the sentence of Herodotus that he had translated carefully. The boy

believed that, as far as poor Daniel was concerned, '' ' was very appropriate.

Christopher hoped that Tom would not 'stir what you should not stir', but he also somehow recognised that his aspiration would probably be dangerously defeated.

(Cellars, Sodomhall School, Northumberland, England, same time)

Daniel had not heard Dr. Strappem enter the school cellars or approach him and he found the headmaster's ability to do so undetected very eerie. However, the boy had little time to reflect on the issue because the man next walked past him to open the barred door of the arched chamber containing the comprehensive array of torture apparatus.

After stepping inside the chamber, Dr. Strappem invited Daniel to follow. The naked boy, who was still instinctively protecting his genitals with his hands, was naturally very reluctant to comply. However, he also appreciated that he had no real choice but to do so.

After the very frightened Daniel had reluctantly entered the scary chamber, Dr. Strappem pointed to a set of currently opened, very low stocks, with two apertures, that was less than twelve inches high. "Shed the blanket, boy," the headmaster then commanded, "lie face-up on the ground and put your feet in those holes."

Daniel again reluctantly complied with one of Dr. Strappem's orders whilst experiencing immense trepidation and soon found his feet immovably locked in the stocks, whilst his bare rear lay on the cold stone floor. The headmaster subsequently paid attention to the arched soles of the boy's legs.

"Your first well-deserved punishment, boy," Dr. Strappem next advised, whilst beginning to rub his cane gently but menacingly across the arches of Daniel's feet, "will be to receive an extensive caning to these soles of yours. Did you know that they're amongst the most tender parts of your anatomy and, with the possible exception of your genitals, will therefore provide you with the most grief when beaten?"

"I consider first punishing you here to be most appropriate," the sadistic Dr. Strappem cruelly added, "because afterwards you'll hardly be able to walk let alone run away from my school!"

(To be continued in chapter 18 - 'Herodotus')