Chapter 11
The all too brief holiday ended seeming to the two boys to be almost over before it had begun and the return to school was filled with foreboding. During the break, neither boy had discussed the habitual cycle of punishment at school or the harassment by their prefects but Mark at least felt that his brother might help he and Hugh escape on weekends.
The foreboding took the form of a light in a window. Hugh first spotted it the first day back - just a light in one of the two houses situated on the school grounds. The house, a two-storied Victorian cottage, was the residence of the School Sergeant about whom stories were legend. "Sarge", as he was referred to by all and sundry had been ill when the boys first arrived at the main school and upon his recovery had taken extended holidays. His duties were fairly routine - helping with the administration of the grounds, the canteen, supervising the boys' efforts at keeping the playgrounds tidy, raising the flag etc. None of this concerned the boys, but all knew, by rumour, reports and whispers, that Sarge was also a fearful beater.
Sarge was a convenient tool for the Head and deputy when they were too busy to take care of punishments (which was a very rare occurrence), but also served as a route by which the weaker Masters could vent their spleen without having to take direct responsibility for administering punishments. Hugh and Mark were aware of Sarge's reputation, as were all the boys, but their principal concern at his reappearance lay in the avenue it created for their Geology, Maths and Science Masters who, for reasons of advancing senility (Geology and Science) or immaturity (Maths) never inflicted punishments. When really riled, each might be moved to report a boy to the Head for discipline, but quick talking, or, in the case of Anthony G the Geology Master, a small bribe of a chocolate covered peppermint sweet, could generally avoid these Masters worrying the Head. All the boys were concerned that this might now change.
Sarge's first foray into the affairs of the school after his return, and the first sight of him by Mark and Hugh, came with an explosion in one of the Science Labs as the boys rushed from the daily House meeting to their first classes. Mark and Hugh were observers rather than participants.
The explosion occurred as Freddy L opened his Lab for the first class of the day. Being a chain smoker, with a worn out sensory system as a result, Freddy apparently did not notice the gas fumes as he had approached his Lab. Perhaps it was the wind which dissipated the smell (his claim) or just inattention (the general consensus), but gas and his cigarette came to an unfortunate meeting which partially demolished his laboratory. Freddy appeared to the boys who rushed to the scene as a somewhat surprised and shabby old man with fairly singed eyebrows. Sarge appeared from the smoke and confusion as a tall, well built concerned member of the staff who yelled for the onlookers to get well away and ushered the aged Science Master along the outdoor balcony towards the First Aid room.
Investigation followed with a precision of which the Police would have been proud. Each Housemaster was called to account for the whereabouts of each of his charges, each Prefect was called to shed whatever light he could on the matter and all of the Fourth Form were detained under suspicion of being the pranksters. In time the whole story emerged. Three Fourth Formers and two Third Formers had thought it would be fun to go into the Lab through a side window, quite an accomplishment in itself given the narrow nature of the aperture, and turn on the Bunsen burners in the full knowledge that the chain smoking Freddy L would most certainly facilitate a small accident. (This was really a copy-cat adventure - Hugh having led a not dissimilar expedition earlier in the year but without the explosive outcome.)
As to the five boys involved, the evidence was soon gathered mainly through the threat of mass punishments by the Head and through their mistake in being seen by a number of people, including Prefects, hatching their merry plot. Confessions were extracted, parents contacted and word quickly spread that the next assembly would be a sight to behold.
Although held in awe by their peers, the five miscreants were less than merry as they awaited their punishment and on the morning before Assembly were noticeably absent from their respective classes.
As the Assembly drew to its climax, the five were brought into the Hall to be given a sound lecture about the irresponsibility of their actions and judgement pronounced. Each boy was to receive a dozen strokes of the cane and would then depart the school premises for good.
One after the other, the five presented their posteriors to the cane and one by one they duly gave voice to their pain and humiliation. Although sixty strokes in all found the targets, the Head never waivered in his duty or his ferocity and the general consensus afterwards was that each boy had received an equal measure of pain. (The boys' friends would later report that four of the five had also displayed open cuts at various points on their backsides, although this was never the subject of the critical inspections which characterised the chastisement of those who didn't suffer the inconvenience of being expelled after being punished.)
The event took on the proportions of legend but its aftermath was terrifying. Discipline, to the Head's mind, needed to be tightened. Instructions were issued to all in authority that even the smallest infringements were to be dealt with severely.
Hugh, Mark and their friends did not escape the reign of terror than ensued but the violence at the House proved so general that none thought they were being unduly singled out for special attention.
At school itself, Mark was the only one of the group to find himself on the wrong side of the law, being caught with his hand on Hugh's groin rather than on some dusty old fossil. Bribery worked, to Mark's relief, but there was a word of caution regarding the availability of the Sergeant - duly noted.
As Exams approached, the school in general became more tranquil and focussed but Spring brought lust and that meant trouble.
Alan Evans' appetite for Hugh's arse and David Chapman's use of Mark increased significantly as the cold, wet days of winter receded and while the boys were well used to each other, the assaults by the larger boys were more often than not brutal and painful. The only relief that the two young boys derived was from the fact that there was less beating - sessions tended to be simply _s_e_x_ual rather than disciplinary.
Spring brought forth a new crop of predators as well - those Fourth Form boys who thought they would be the following year's Prefects. Not all the current crop of Prefects indulged in the pleasures of the flesh and not all the aspirants indulged either - the School was not a giant orgy - but in the hothouse environment, particularly at the Boarding House, relationship, either by consent or by force, were inevitable. (In later years, Mark, Hugh and Ivor discussed the events frequently and agreed that it was likely that between 60 and 70% of the junior boys were the object of _s_e_x_ual attention, both casual and permanent.)
Ivor Indyg, Chris Chapman, Charles O'Donnell and Peter Archer were all "unattached" while Mark and Hugh were most certainly spoken for. Without the benefit of new boys to prey upon, each of the four became the object of the Fourth Formers' lust.
Ivor, who had been severely beaten by Williams earlier in the year, was served up to the aspiring Prefects much like a piece of meat. William's appetite for _s_e_x_ual activity grew with the Spring but he used Ivor as bait for the Fourth Formers. To Ivor's mind the routine appeared to be that one of the aspiring prefects would be offered Ivor's backside in return for providing Williams with the pleasures that he sought from the older boys. The Fourth Formers who entered into this obscene pact were clearly mindful of the current Prefects' influence over the selection of the next year's crop of tyrants.
During the third and final term of the year, Ivor spent a great number of evenings visiting one or more of the Fourth Formers. At first he objected and refused to be treated in this way but two sessions with this bum in the air and Williams' cane slicing it to the point of bleeding, caused Ivor to accept his assigned role.
Chris, Charles and Peter, while not virgins and not totally disinterested in homo_s_e_x_ual activity, experienced nights of sheer torture as one or more of the bigger Fourth Formers satisfied his lust in mostly brief and inconsiderate encounters. They consoled each other and accepted their fate knowing that the long Christmas break was fast approaching and that a crop of new boys would be available to their tormentors come the New Year.
Hugh and Mark were also taking comfort from the fact that Evans and Chadwick would soon be leaving the School and going on to University.
As the term finished, the senior boys paid less attention to these indulgences and spent every waking minute preparing for the State-wide examinations which would determine their University placements. Hugh and Mark used this time to adjust to the fact that Hugh was to leave Australia for the Christmas holidays and take the Super Constellation flight to London at the command of his parents. The two young lovers took every opportunity to be together and talked endlessly about the pain of separation.
When Speech Day arrived - the last day of term and the greatest formal occasion of the School year - Hugh and Mark were disconsolate. Nonetheless, the two dutifully went to their respective Prefects to say goodbye and then prepared to dress for the formalities of the day. Hugh was surprised that Evans seemed less than interested in the closing of his school life and shook hands in the most offhanded manner. Not particularly concerned at the absence of any discussion or sign of affection or consideration, Hugh left Evans to dress and returned to his room to join Mark and the others preparing for the big day.
At 2.00pm all the boys of the School filed into the great assembly hall to await the procession of Masters and the Headmaster, the latter being accompanied by the guest of honour, the State Governor. The singing of the National Anthem, prayers, the boring speeches etc were of little interest to Hugh or Mark, or indeed most of the boys, until the Headmaster got to the point of announcing the Prefects for the following year. It was at the point when the Head announced that Evans was returning as Head Prefect in order to gain a better entry into Sydney university's Medical School that Hugh grabbed Mark's hand and said quietly: "_f_u_c_k_".
After Speech Day concluded Evans walked up to the pair and menacingly indicated that he would be looking forward to meeting them in the New Year - a prospect which neither wanted to consider at that moment. As Evans departed, Hugh's uncle arrived to escort his charge to his home and, the following day, the aircraft which would convey him to London. "Please write" was all Mark could say as Hugh was escorted to the waiting Rolls. Both boys has a tear running down their cheek as the car pulled away from the curb separating them for nearly three months.
"Cheer up", said Mark Jackson's brother, "we'll have great fun during the break" and gently put his arm around his young brother's shoulder and turned him away from the spot to which Mark appeared to be riveted. Mark looked up at David with a feeling of immense gratitude for his brother's consideration.
In later years Mark and Hugh would read the correspondence which passed between them and today the italicised writing reveals the emotions which both boys experienced during those 11 weeks of separation. Hugh's first letter revealed the intensity of his hatred of his situation and the longing and craving for his young lover:
"The Savoy Thursday, 2 November
Dearest Mark,
I am in the foulest of moods because I have been here for three days so far and have yet to be even summoned by my Father or Mother. They don't care at all. I'm just here to be put on display whenever they want. It's like being in a prison. London is clod (sic) and damp and foggy and absolutely horrible. I have been taken to the Zoo, and countless museum and art galleries and am going to Eton to see the place where Father seems to want me to go at some point.
I bet you are on the beach every day. Have you met David's lover yet? I'm excited and jealous at the same time thinking about your beautiful brown body, those cute Speedos. How I would love to be with you, to hold you and kiss you and screw you. The thought is enough to make me wet myself. Please write and tell what is going on.
I have had plenty of time to think about the year and about you. _s_h_i_t_, we had an awful lot of beatings when you think about it and some good and some bad _s_e_x_ as well - DON"T LET ANYONE FIND THIS!!! I hate to even think about going back to Evans. Its like I can still feel him from the last time he _f_u_c_k_ed me and that's over two weeks ago. I imagine that you are the same but by now you will probably have had David up you you may not even know if I was there. I'm sorry, I'm just very sad not be able to see you or to be with you. Please write. I do love you.
I'll post this and go and try and sneak out this place - I'll write again and again, Just tell me if it becomes too much.
With all my love Hugh"
The End