9. To Port Arthur and Point Puer
Our journey south was as uneventful as it was speedy. Within less than two weeks we arrived in the cove at which Port Arthur was sited. Despite the fact that it was mid summer in the antipodes, it was a rather mild day because of the longitude. The bright green hills reminded me of England and for a brief moment I was homesick.
The convicts were taken ashore in two groups - the adults to Port Arthur and the boys to Point Puer. I saw Ned, chained with the rest of the boys and felt a pang of anxiety for his well being. I recalled well McAlister's warning that Ned might not be in for an easy time of it once he reached his destination. McAlister reported to the Marine Commander at Port Arthur and delivered the men into his custody. He then formed an escort and we marched the twenty or so boys along the winding path to their new home.
I had taken little notice of Port Arthur itself although I noted that sturdy and extensive buildings had been built by the convicts and that gallows, stocks, whipping posts were all readily available to deal with anyone who got out of line. (When we returned I would see all these instruments in action.)
Point Puer was less accommodating than Port Arthur. It was on an isolated promontory quite some distance from the main settlement and here the boys were segregated supposedly for their own well being. As we approached I was astonished to see about 200 boys of various ages tending to crops, hanging out clothes and bedding and assisting in the on-going construction of the buildings.
This establishment was founded on a rough rectangle but open at each of its corners. On one side were the barracks in which the boys were quartered whilst the other sides were made up punishment cells, administration buildings and quarters for the soldiers who guarded the place. The centre of this rectangle contained what was obviously a parade ground along one side of which were set out the instruments of punishment. Stocks were available to hold any miscreant and indeed one was currently occupied by a sour looking boy of perhaps some sixteen or so years. A dais was set in the centre of the edge of the parade ground and upon this stood a flogging triangle, a bench and an open frame from which hung sets of chains.
Mr McAlister reported as expected to the Commandant who extended and invitation to us to stay in one of the buildings set aside for visitors. With plenty of time before our onward journey would resume, Mr McAlister accepted the invitation and indicated that he was quite prepared to share his quarters with me. That settled, we were free to roam and inspect the facilities as the new arrivals were taken to one of the rooms for processing.
As the sun moved overhead, we joined the Commandant for luncheon in his fine quarters, during the course of which he explained his approach to his charges.
"I am supposed to run a self sufficient establishment here," he observed "which is very difficult with only convicts for labour. We send surplus produce to Port Arthur in exchange for those goods which we cannot make ourselves.
"Those boys who arrived today will shortly be introduced to the general population and, as you shall see, they will be given a demonstration of the methods we employ to maintain discipline. Every boy has to pull his weight and we deal harshly with anyone who breaks any of the rules.
"That boy out in the stocks will be dealt with for fighting. The boy who started the fight will also be punished but he is already confined in one of the punishment cells so you will not have seen him.
"Any boy who has to be hanged is sent to Port Arthur for that purpose but we try to avoid such drastic actions since we need as much manpower as we can get.
"Now, if you have finished, let me show you around and then we shall be ready for the daily parade."
With that, we exited the dining room and headed for the main barracks building. As we entered I was surprised to see the seemingly endless row of beds on either side of the huge. We moved through the dormitory into another and yet another until we came to one in which the boys whom we had delivered were quartered.
I smiled at Ned who had clearly been bathed and given new attire but he did not return my gesture. Rather he sat there looking quite glum and unsure of his surrondings.
Moving out of the building we traversed the parade ground, stopping to look at the boy in the stock. He was a fine looking boy but greatly discomforted by the cramped position in which he was confined. Our inspection led us to the punishment cells where the principal miscreant was housed. We entered the stone building and went down a dark corridor until we came to a cell which the guard opened.
I could not help but gasp at the sight which was before us for a lad of no more than seventeen was hanging from chains completely naked and with his feet clasped in irons attached to the stone floor. The cell was about eight feet square and the boy, Bellows was his name, was chained in the centre of the cell thereby permitting access to all parts of his body.
The place reeked of urine and excrement and a channel ran across the middle of the floor and through the walls to carry away the sewerage. The floor was damp from having obviously been washed recently and it was obvious that the boy had also been doused at the same time.
McAlister walked towards the boy and gently stroked his face and chest before proceeding to his back and buttocks.
With a chuckle the Commandant told McAlister: "You are free to visit here and attend to any of the boys if you wish. Many of the men do if they can't be bothered visiting Port Arthur. Even though we could still hang men and boys for sodomy we wouldn't have anyone left here, so you should not be concerned at their being any repercussions from a visit here now and then."
"Thank you, Sir," replied McAlister as faintly a bugle sounded from outside the building.
"Time for punishments," declared the Commandant. "Would you and your servant be pleased to join me while we demonstrate to our new arrivals the price of being ill disciplines here?"
"I should be delighted, Sir" replied McAlister as he came to me and pushed me gently towards the exit.
We crossed the parade ground and mounted the large dais to which the Commandant instructed additional seating should be brought for McAlister and me. As we were seating ourselves, the parade ground filled with a multitude of boy convicts who assembled in long formal ranks under the ever-watchful eyes of the guards and overseers.
I searched for Ned but realised that the new arrivals were not yet on the parade ground.
Suddenly the boys burst into whistles, catcalls and yelled obscenities to the small groups on new arrivals as they were brought from the barracks. I shuddered at some of the suggestions which were being called out to the small and frightened group - calls which left nothing to the imaginations as to the _s_e_x_ual purpose to which the "new meat" would be put.
When the boys were quieted down and the new arrivals, including Ned, we in position, the Commandant rose and addressed the assembly.
"Firstly," declared the Commandant, "let me advise the new arrivals that you are here for the term of your sentence and if you go about your duties you will be well treated. Break any of the rules however and you shall be dealt with severely as you are about to see.
"This morning there was a fight and the two culprits will now be dealt with accordingly. Mr Wilson, if you would be so kind, please get Kelly from the stocks and you there," indicating to the guards outside the punishment cells, "bring up Bellows."
For several minutes there was an eerie silence as the guards went about the business of bring the miscreants to the dais. Kelly, the younger of the two has firmly held by the guard named Wilson while the naked Bellows was immediately cuffed into the irons which hung from the frame at the end of the platform.
Kelly was a solidly built lad with ginger hair, apparently of Irish stock. He looked sullen and unmoved as the Commandant took up a piece of paper and read aloud the sentence.
"For participating in an act of violence," declared the Commandant, "William Kelly, you are hereby sentenced to twelve strokes. Please proceed Mr Wilson."
As the Commandant resumed his seat the boy began to undress and was quickly naked. Mr Wilson led the strangely unemotional boy to the A-frame which I suddenly noticed was a smaller version of the one we had observed at Port Arthur. The reason I surmised was to ensure that the frame itself did not get in the way of the cane or whip and thus deprive the victim of the benefit of the end of the cane or lash from wrapping around his thighs.
Kelly's ankles were fastened and then he was bent over and his wrists tied to the furthermost portion of the frame leaving his buttocks exposed for all to see. As he was being secured, one of the overseers mounted the dais carrying a four foot long cane.
When all was in readiness, the Commandant gave the instruction for the punishment to commence. The overseer swung the cane back in a wide arc and sent it crashing into Kelly's backside immediately raising a livid welt. Apart from bucking forward, there was no reaction from the boy. The second "Crack" sounded as cane met flesh and another stripe appeared across the white buttocks but elicited no sound from the boy. Time and again the cane descended and it was not until the ninth stroke that the victim finally gave vent to his anguish and let out a cry. Blood now appeared and the final three strokes were delivered low down on the boy's thigh, clearly to avoid cutting the fleshy backside open further.
As the boy's legs were untied I had an unobstructed view of his backside which was covered totally with the bright red and purple results of the beating. Standing slowly, Kelly was handed his trousers and dressed himself unaided. Sobbing, he left the dais and assumed a position amongst the assembled boys.
The naked Bellows had had a clear view of the punishment meted out to Kelly and looked a little pale as he was unchained and brought before the Commandant who had risen to read out the sentence.
"Thomas Bellows," announced the Commandant, "for instigating an act of violence by assaulting another prisoner, you are hereby sentenced to eighteen strokes and five days confinement in the punishment cells. Mr Wilson, please proceed with the punishment."
The same procedure was followed to secure the sturdy boy who was clearly not excited by the prospect of the lashing to come. As the overseer went to pick up the cane the Commandant intervened.
"No," he declared, "this boy had been beaten before and still continues to cause trouble. You shall use the birch so that he might benefit from his punishment."
"No please," cried Bellows as he wrestled vainly to free himself. The plea which was simply ignored.
I had not seen a birch on the dais as we had arrived but from the furthermost side of the table the overseer produced a ferocious-looking instrument, the likes of which I had never seen before. Comprised of a stout handle attached to which were a bundle of long twigs from a tree. In all the instrument must have weighed nearly a pound. Shaking the birch to remove the liquid in which it had been soaking, the overseer measured his distance from the target, gently brushing Bellow's clenched buttocks in the process. Again the boy resumed his struggles but to no avail.
Drawing the birch back in a similar arc to the cane, the overseer, using both hands to hold the instrument, sent it thundering into Bellow's arse. A second later Bellows, true to his name, let out a cry. The effect of the birch was far greater than that of the cane for although it could not be swung with the same force, its weight and many pieces turned a large proportion of Bellow's backside a bright red. Equally significant, the area covered by the birch was far greater with the sharp edges of the shorter twigs gaining access to the victim's crack - an area not generally visited by a cane.
The subsequent strokes brought ever-increasing and desperate cries from Bellows and blood was quickly drawn and his backside turned into something resembling ground up beef. By the twelfth or thirteenth stroke, Bellows had started to swoon and I am not at all sure that the remaining strokes registered in his consciousness.
When the final blow had been delivered, Bellows was literally dragged off the dais and taken back to his cell.
The Commandant rose and addressed the assembly: "Now let that be a lesson to you all. I shall not tolerate riotous behaviour of any lack of discipline. If necessary I shall flog every one of you, make no mistake. Now dismiss and go about your duties."
As the Commandant moved to leave the dais, he beckoned us to join him and I could not help but notice Mr McAlister's sate of arousal as he moved to comply with the Commandant's summons.
Predictably, that evening after supper, McAlister sated his lust on my backside in the rather common and brutal fashion I had endured on board the "Agincourt". For more than an hour he plunged into me with a ferocity which defied description but despite my entreaties and my sobs of pain there was nothing which could cause him to be more gentle. When he was finally satisfied and my posterior filled with his juices, he suddenly became passionate and considerate and kissed and fondled me and assisted me to find relief from my own _s_e_x_ual needs. Despite the warmth and tenderness I generally felt for this handsome man, the violence within his nature concerned me. Nothing would ever placate my concern about his capacity for violent assault and I was constantly on my guard.
The following morning we visited the punishment cells and McAlister surveyed the damage to Bellow's backside. Still naked, Bellows was chained to the wall by a length of chain. His buttocks now had scabs all over them where the blood had dried and his piteous state clearly deterred Mr McAlister from seeking to enjoy the warmth of the boy's backside.
A boy, similarly chained and naked in a cell not two doors removed from that in which Bellows was confined was not so fortunate. McAlister summoned one of the guards and advised that he did not wish to be disturbed and closed the door to the cell. I stood there, rooted to the spot, as McAlister ordered the boy to rise.
Standing, the boy was slightly taller and more heavily built than I. He had a resigned look on his face which signified that this was not the first occasion upon which he had been subjected to the unwanted attention of his superiors.
McAlister slowly inspected the boy, running his hands over his body and playing with his privates. When ordered to do so the boy turned towards the wall showing in the gloom the unmistakable signs of a sever flogging. Scars covered every inch of his body from his shoulders to the bottom of his prominent backside.
I knew that McAlister was excited by the vision which he beheld and was quite frankly not surprised when he pushed the boy against the wall and kicked his legs apart. Holding the boy in position with one hand, McAlister fumbled to free his organ with the other and then savagely penetrated the helpless prisoner. The entry was not at all prepared for an invasion of such magnitude and the boy let out a cry as his anus was stretched and possibly torn. I could see little of what was happening but the light was sufficient for me to make out the thrusting of McAlisters' pelvis as he took his satisfaction from the boy's arse. Curiously, the boy did not struggle to avoid the assault and when McAlister sent his seed into the boy and withdrew some minutes later, the boy simply remained in position.
McAlister invited me to take advantage of the available orifice but the sight was of no interest to me and I declined. Without a word, McAlister swung open the door to the cell, buttoned up his trousers and left.
As we walked across the parade ground, McAlister asked me why I had not taken advantage of the offered backside.
"Robert," said I somewhat boldly, "I really am not excited by taking a boy who is a prisoner chained up like that. To be sure, I do enjoy rogering and if I could I would do so with young Ned this very instant, but that boy back there had taken enough punishment from the whip."
This outburst clearly angered McAlister who clipped me about my ear and promptly strode away.
The parade that day was held under overcast skies and four boys were summarily dealt with for some minor infraction of the rules. I observed from a distance since McAlister had not invited me to join him and I was therefore in a somewhat detached frame of mind as I watched the obscene pantomime as each boy was caned.
I wandered around the outskirts of the prison alone and somewhat lonely and spent the afternoon sitting on the shore contemplating my future. Soon it would be time to leave this place and make for Sydney Town. But I knew not what my fate would be from there on.
As Evening fell I returned to the quarters I shared with McAlister to find him somewhat concerned as to my whereabouts. He questioned me at some length about where I had been and with whom I had spent the afternoon. I felt that he doubted my answers.
After dinner he announced that he had a surprise for me - an announcement which immediately made me worry. Leading the way, he took me to the punishment block and to the furthermost cell. There, naked and chained in a spread-eagled fashion with his back to the door, was Ned.
"You said that you wanted him," said McAlister "so I have arranged this for you." Having made this declaration, Robert left.
I walked into the cell and around to Ned's front and explained that I had not meant that I wanted him in this fashion.
"No matter, Chris," said Ned, "I will probably be here more than once and at least I didn't jave to endure a beating to get here. McAlister has given me as a gift and I should like you to make love to me since we shall soon be separated."
Without a word I kissed Ned and proceeded to explore his vulnerable body with my lips and my hands. Soon we were both excited to the point that neither of us could restrain our impulses and I moved to Ned's rear and gently eased my throbbing organ into his inviting arse. I reveled in the warmth and determined to take my time as I used one hand to grip Ned's hip and the other to slowly bring him to a climax.
The first I knew that we had company was the swishing sound and then the explosion of pain in my rear. From nowhere McAlister had appeared. As the pain registered I let out a yelp and made to withdraw from Ned's posterior but was stopped from doing so by the pressure of the tip of the cane in the centre of my back.
"Finish what you started," McAlister directed "and for your impudence this morning I shall continue your beating until you have done so."
Knowing full well that he meant what he said I hastened my activities trying desperately to bring myself to a climax. After six or so strokes of the cane my state had altered from one of excitement to one of disinterest and I declared my failure to McAlister.
"Well if you can't, I shall" he declared and pushed me to one side and entered Ned's posterior with a savage thrust.
I watched as Ned bucked each time Robert drove into him and was relieved when Robert gave a sigh which indicated the completion of the act.
"Come with me" instructed McAlister as he departed the confines of the cell and with a quick "goodbye" to Ned I followed him to our quarters.
McAlister was convinced that I had not been alone during the afternoon and pressed me time and again to reveal with whom I had spent the time. Despite my honest declaration of my solitude, he was convinced otherwise. Indicating that I should get to bed, he promised me that my insolence would be dealt with on the morrow.
True to his word, McAlister informed the Commandant the following morning that he had an "insolent pup" on his hands and asked whether the Commandant might not be able to have some sense beaten into me. Ever obliging, the Commandant indicated that I should receive appropriate punishment at the daily parade and suggested that I should be held in the dreaded punishment cells until parade time arrived.
With McAlister's acquiescence, I was marched to the punishment cells where I was received with a certain degree of curiosity. Whereas the general population of convicts were sallow in appearance from their long periods of confinement, I was brown as could be from the long time at sea and generally of better appearance.
The guards ordered me into one of the cells and directed me to remove all my clothes. Without protest I did so and was quickly chained by my wrists and ankles in the same position in which Ned had been chained the previous evening.
Standing there, without any capacity to resist, I felt more vulnerable than at any time before. Fortunately, the guards did not take too great an advantage of my situation, confining themselves to running their hands over the most intimate parts of my body, an activity which was accompanied my the most graphic descriptions of what fate awaited me. Finally, left alone, I waited for hours it seemed and my arms started to cramp from being immobilised for so long. The final indignity was having to relieve the pressure in my bladder in a stream which formed a puddle around my feet which was duly flushed away before I was taken down and out onto the parade ground.
When I was brought onto the dais I looked at McAlister who returned my glare with a shrug of his shoulders as if to say that this was my own doing. I was not the first to be punished that day and was therefore chained up while other boys were dealt with.
My mind registered nothing as the cane whipped into the buttocks of two young boys who had apparently been caught shirking their duties and only when the lad hanging beside me was taken down did my mind start to focus. I watched as he was duly restrained on the triangle and eighteen fearsome strokes of the cane applied to the sound of his high pitched screams. As the wretch was removed to the infirmary, I was unchained and escorted to the frame to which I was tied.
The Commandant read the decree that I should be punished for insolence and that I should receive twelve strokes. It was a moment from that point until my brain registered the Commandant's final words which were "with the birch". Horrified at this news I struggled vainly to escape my bonds but the guards had done their jobs well and my struggles were in vain.
When, after an interminable period, I heard the "whoosh" of the birch rod through the air and the "crack" as it landed on target, I immediately saw a crimson veil form in front of my eyes as a thousand points of pain registered in my buttocks. Despite my determination not to do so I let a cry escape my chest as the pain tore through me and I could almost feel McAlister's organ stiffening as he viewed my agony.
The second blow was more terrible than the first as the pieces of the rod caught the inner parts of my crack and elsewhere layered pain upon pain. My effort to control myself gave way completely at that point and I struggled and yelped without any regard to the spectacle I was providing the audience.
By the sixth blow I was reduced to sobbing and by the final stroke I was wishing for a quick release from life itself.
In a blur, my mind numbed from the intensity of the pain, I was untied and carried to the infirmary where my bleeding buttocks were attended to without any tenderness whatsoever. I was washed and coated in some ointment and then ordered to return to my quarters. Barely able to walk, I struggled, naked to the door and using the walls for support, gradually edged my way towards the barracks in which McAlister and I were lodged.
As I came to the end of the building in which the infirmary was housed I was faced with the prospect of negotiating open ground between it and the barracks. Suddenly an arm caught me around the waist and I looked about to see Jim. I had not realised that he and Mr Finch had arrived at the settlement from Port Arthur but was most grateful for his assistance in negotiating the remaining distance to my quarters.
Jim was most solicitous and assisted me in getting onto the bed and then finding a towel with which to wipe me down. He kissed me gently before he departed and left me to sleep as best I could with the throbbing in my posterior seemingly loud enough for all the world to hear.
That evening, Jim brought me food and wine and sat with me for some time before repairing to his own quarters to see to Mr Finch's needs. I saw nothing of McAlister that night and in the morning was woken by Jim.
McAlister, Jim advised, had spent the night with Mr Finch and the Commandant drinking heavily and then visiting the punishment cells for an evening of debauchery. Neither had yet appeared.
Jim helped me to get up since movement was necessary to avoid the muscles in my backside from seizing up and bathed and dressed me. We went out of the settlement and spent the morning lying under the trees. It was then that Jim informed me that we four were to travel to Port Arthur the following day and then, shortly thereafter, to sail to Sydney Town.