Mr Halley enjoyed using the strap and the cane, particularly when the delinquent had a well developed backside. He often carried a strap with him on his patrols of the school so that he could visit instant punishment for minor misdemeanours. Good looking youths had to be particularly careful if they wished to escape Mr Halley's painful attention. "Untidy dress" was likely to bring one or two good whacks of the strap across the seat of the tightly stretched shorts. Standing near a piece of litter was also likely to be painful for those with attractive physiques. No one was supposed to drop litter and everyone was obliged to pick up litter. One game played by the boys was to secretly drop a piece of paper near an unsuspecting victim as the Principal approached in the hope of a strapping. This was a risky undertaking however as many as a dozen boys could be strapped for the one piece of paper, and the perpetrator might be accidentally ensnared. More serious crimes such as "fighting", "impertinence" or "out of bounds" meant a visit to the store room. The delinquent was required to bend over the back of chair and received a "taste" of the rattan cane, usually four or "six of the best", a quite painful and bruising experience. Mr Halley also kept a collection of canes and straps in is office for dealing with boys sent to him for correction by masters.
Boys in the senior school, although punished less frequently than those in the junior school, were punished more severely on the grounds that they were more culpable. In an average week there might be a dozen formal strappings and half this number of canings, perhaps 40 or 50 strokes in total shared unevenly among 600 boys ranging in age from 12 to 18 years. In an average week there might also be a dozen or more informal strappings of the instant variety. Some "recalcitrant" boys almost always had marks on their bottoms so frequent was punishment.
Late one Saturday night early in the first term a group of seventh formers plus some strays climbed the fence surrounding the school pool and took a nude dip. This was not an unusual occurrence but few had been caught. Mr Halley was determined to stamp out such "hooliganism" and had taken to checking the pool late at night. On this particular night he hit pay dirt - eight bare bottomed lads frolicking in the water!
Boys were not permitted to use the pool without permission or without proper supervision. This was a very strict rule and necessary for safety. The situation had be specifically mentioned at assembly recently. Senior boys were expected to set a good example. Nude swimming, while it might seem harmless in itself, was likely to upset residents in the neighbourhood. It was necessary to make an example and to signal the strongest possible disapproval of the irresponsible behaviour. Normally, such an offence would be subject to suspension if not expulsion or at the very least a severe caning. Trespassers who were not pupils were normally turned over to the police. However, Mr Halley was prepared to be lenient in the present case and would let them all off with a good strapping if they were prepared to accept it now. They would not need to dress first. The boys would lie face down on the seats that surrounded the pool and Mr Halley would set to work with his trusted strap. Such punishment need not be recorded in the punishment book or held against them in the future. The slate would be wiped clean. After only the briefest of discussions an immediate strapping was agreed to. It was not realised by the delinquents that Mr Halley was equipped with the heavier strap he used for formal punishments rather than the lighter strap he usually carried during his patrols of the school grounds.
Andrew Andrew was the school's cross country champion and was of slim wiry physique. He was the first in the line and took the very first stroke of the night. It was laid on with full force and landed square across his smooth wet cheeks. The resounding CRACK of leather on bare wet flesh and the gasp of surprise and pain gladdened Mr Halley's heart. He paused to watch the resulting mark rapidly redden and swell. Its location confirmed the accuracy of the aim. It had been a telling stroke on a fine and deserving rump. The young man was a credit to himself and to the school and a real pleasure to punish.
Andrew's view of the experience was naturally a little different from Mr Halley's. Andrew was seventeen years old and very conscious of his developing manliness. He had received his share of strappings and canings during his four years at college and knew he could take it. His last real strappings had been in the fifth form and the last caning during the middle term in the sixth. But he had never been punished on the bare bum before and was a little uncertain at the prospect. He was relaxed about his nudity and not embarrassed by his present position - lying stark naked on a bench. He knew than skinny dipping in the school pool at midnight was "naughty" but this was what gave it its spice. They had been caught fair a square, with their pants down and couldn't complain. Indeed, they were fortunate in that they were to be strapped at once rather than caned on Monday morning. The strap really stung but the pain passed off relatively quickly and the marks only lasted a few days. The cane was much crueler and its pain and bruising more lasting.
The first stroke took Andrew by surprise. He heard the swish of the strap descending and the astonishingly loud CRACK as it landed but the pain was more than he anticipated causing him to gasp. His whole bum hurt and demanded his most urgent attention. He braced himself for the next stroke determined to make no noise but was surprised when no increase in pain followed the swish. Mr Halley had moved on!
Darran Darran's bottom was large, hairy and flabby in comparison to Andrew's and was, in Mr Halley's opinion, much less attractive. It was positioned, however, most invitingly for retribution and Mr Halley swung the strap with enthusiasm. The thick strip of hide landed on the crease that separated the flabby cheeks from the plump thighs. The noise was more of a thud than a sharp crack and the leather sunk deep into the flesh. The YELP of pain gave only momentarily satisfaction. Mr Halley liked to hurt and he was able to deal far more harshly with boys who feigned indifference than those who gave voice to their suffering. The mark on the flesh took on a mottled and livid appearance. The lad was a bruiser - he would have to be careful not to cause excessive marking.
Darran hadn't wanted to go swimming but was forced to go along with the crowd. He had been embarrassed by the need to strip, even in the near total darkness. He had nearly died when all the lights came on and Mr Halley had appeared. He lay on the bench totally vulnerable, gripping the sides of the timber. His heart was pounding away in his chest from fear rather than excitement. He was the least punished of any of the seventh and had a great dread of the strap and the cane. The pain was most terrible and he felt quite sick.
Mark Of all the boys in the school Mark, captain of the first fifteen, was arguably the manliest, a most impressive specimen. Mr Halley was over joyed when he saw him among the delinquents. Indeed, it was the sight of Mark getting out of the pool and approaching him that had suggested to Mr Halley that instant bare bottomed punishment was appropriate.
Mark lay relaxed on the bench his head resting on his folded arms. Drops of water on his thighs and buttocks glistened in the harsh lights. The tanned muscular hairy thighs narrowed a little before swelling into the lean white hairless bottom. Mr Halley laid the strap gently on the target before stepping back and winding up. The blow was a very hard one and it landed exactly where intended producing a most delightful sound and a momentary spasm of the relaxed figure. He patted the cold wet smarting red rump with his hand and assured the youth that it was just the beginning.
Mark had engineered the swim knowing full well of the Principal's increased surveillance. He had not been very surprised nor alarmed when the lights had come on. He showed no apparent distress when the strap struck home because he felt none. His bottom hurt but it was good. The pat from the warm hand of the Principal was unexpected and most pleasurable. The wooden seat felt good against his _c_o_c_k_ and balls as he waited eagerly for the next CRACK! of leather on flesh.
John was an old boy, a university student and Andrew's brother. He had the same lean smooth build as Andrew but was more developed as befitted his twenty years. He had agreed to being strapped quite readily, although not under the school's jurisdiction, partly from a sense of loyalty to the group but more because he wanted to show that he could take it as well as the next man. Mr Halley paused before he delivered his next stroke, the forth of the night. What a feast! Gorgeous young man number three laid out most invitingly! What beautiful thighs he thought as he laid the leather on with full force. The strap landed a little long and its tip wrapped around the curve of the thigh making a nasty and exceedingly painful wound high on the outside of John's thigh. His OUCH! was involuntary as was his grasping of the tormented flesh. Mr Halley saw only the red stripe of goose flesh across both legs and didn't understand the young man's distress until he leant over for a better view. "Oh dear!" he said and gave the thigh a gentle caress. John hardly noticed his mind occupied by the pain. This was not how he remembered the strap!
Gregg Babies grow into boys who grow into men who age and go to flab. Only a few short years in this life span truly appealed to Mr Halley. Fit healthy young men, or more particularly their naked bodies, were his joy. His interest in boys related mainly to their potential to become men and he strapped and caned their bottoms as surrogates for men. Boys were available, and could be whacked. Men, while being imminently more attractive targets for punishment, could not, in the normal course of events, be induced to accept punishment. But a miracle had happened. Before him lay a gloriously naked submissive young man waiting to be strapped and strapped hard and strapped repeatedly fair and square on the most magnificent of bottoms. It was narrow, muscular, masculine and it rose an astounding height above thighs and back.
Gregg was John's friend and he had agreed to a strapping mainly through pride. He had never been strapped before. Mr Halley took time out to explain the procedure and to admire the body lying in front of him. The strap was usually used for punishing children. It would be laid on here and here and here he said indicating the target area by running his figures across Gregg's rump. His whole bottom would sting. Mr Halley indicated the area by rubbing his hands over the soon to be smarting flesh. The soft hair on the delicious globes felt good. Did the young man need to wear shorts in the next few days and would marks on his thighs embarrass? No? in that case the thighs would also be strapped. He indicated the area that was to hurt by touching it. How good the thighs felt! He tousled Gregg's wet hair and commented that if he were a pupil he would be strapped for his long hair as well.
When the first blow finally landed it was almost an anticlimax. Gregg had heard the gasp, yelp and ouch from his predecessors and in his ignorance was expected something really bad. It was bearable and no noise left his body.
Willie Willie had a pimply face and Mr Halley had always thought of him as a troublesome youth who needed periodic hidings rather than as the owner of a desirable backside. In his seventeenth year, aided by a summer spent at the beach and working on a farm, Willie had suddenly matured. There was still some gangliness but the boy was beginning to fill out. It would be interesting to see if his ability to "take it" had improved. Mr Halley's best effort produced a bright red mark high on the cheeks but no sound from the delinquents lips. Bare bottoms certainly allowed the accuracy of delivery to be seen! Mr Halley resolved to keep a close eye on Willie in future.
Raya Raya was a Malay exchange student from Kuala Lumpur and had joined in the activities of the school with enthusiasm if not always with understanding. This had lead to his ready acceptance by the other boys and had resulted in his present predicament and his first and only taste of the strap. His body was exceptionally smooth and hairless save for a small triangle of coarse black hair above his _c_o_c_k_ and a hint of stubble on his chin. There was a good covering of flesh over his entire body which was nicely formed. He lay on the warm wood ignorant of what was to come although anticipating pain. Mr Halley stared at the well rounded brown rump, licked his lips and then let fly with the leather. Raya was greatly surprised at the result! Never before in his 17 years had his bum hurt so! Mr Halley was gratified by the spasm that racked the lithe body but disappointed by the apparent absence of any mark on the brown rump. His hand strayed towards the stinging flesh seeking the bruise. The rough goose bumps of the chastised flesh contrasted amazingly with the smoothness of the surrounding skin and Mr Halley let his hand run down the thigh of the gorgeous boy before suddenly recalling himself to duty.
Shaun Shaun was sixteen and had a crush on a young lady called Debbie. He concentrated his mind on her image and tried to block out the noise of leather on bare backsides and the gasps and yelps of his fellow delinquents and anticipation of the coming pain. Mr Halley looked down at the naked lithe form and smiled. The white bottom showed two large purple and black bruises across its full width - the lad had recently been caned! He decided to lay the strap on the bruises and took special care with the aim. Swish - CRACK - OooH! Shaun's mind was brought suddenly from what might be under Debbie's blouse to his own rear end.
The Second Round Having worked his way around the eight prone bodies and left them all smarting Mr Halley began a second round, this time applying two stokes in rapid succession to each bare bottom in turn. Andrew was still smarting from the first stroke when the next two caught him, overlapping the first and leaving the whole of his small posterior glowing. Darran yelped again. Mark raised his hips as the strap descended and thrust into the bench, his _c_o_c_k_ hardening with his mounting excitement. John's bottom still hurt from the first stroke which had brought back memories of previous punishments, unpleasant experiences blocked from memory. The second stroke renewed the pain to a new frenzy. FUCH! Mr Halley didn't like swearing and gave John a couple more on the thighs, evoking gasps of shock and pain. Gregg had his hands cupped over his buns wondering at their heat. He took two more stinging blows on his delightful butt as did Willie, Raya and Shaun.
For the final round of three strokes each Mr Halley had the lads bend in turn over one of the water filters. The tight curve of strap-reddened flesh over the pelvic bones invited him to extra effort to lay it on hard. The bare sore red flesh was unyielding on the bone and the pain excruciating. At the end, with the sole exception of Mark, every boy sincerely regretted the night's nude frolic.
Mr Halley was very pleased with his nights work. He assembled the eight nude young men before him for a final homily and inspection. The _c_o_c_k_iness was gone and had been replaced by a touching contriteness and humility. Most had hands cupped over their smarting rears although Darran had his hands in front of his _c_o_c_k_ trying to preserve his modesty but by the very act drawing attention to the organ he was trying to hide. It was a pathetic little thing. Mark had the most marvellous hard on - an amazing shaft for a lad so young! What a fine body of young men! In future, Mr Halley warned, all boys using the pool without authority would get an immediate six of the best on the bare bottom, exactly like they had just received. The boys were to get dressed and were to go home.
It was amusing to watch them dry and dress themselves, trying to pull on their pants without scraping their very sore rumps - their pretence at nonchalance, their stiff walk.
Postscript The strapping was not successful as a deterrent as it begun a new tradition, initiation rite and competition. The midnight visit to the baths continued for many years as did the bare bottom punishments when it was detected.
Origins. When Mr Halley first started secondary teaching he started caning boys "for their own good" and for the inherent fun of it. He caned at every opportunity and he always hit as hard as he could, regardless of the crime. Mr Halley's strokes landed haphazardly but very painfully, sometimes on the fleshy parts of the buttocks as intended, sometimes on the back and sometimes on the legs.
Teenage boys are shy at exposing their bruised bottoms to their parents but can hardly be expected to hide legs and backs. One day the irate father of a recently caned third former called upon Mr Halley to complain of brutality. He did not object to his boy being punished on the bottom if he deserved it but he has not having him beaten black and blue on the legs and back. The unfortunate lad was required to drop his shorts to illustrate the point - his bottom was unmarked but there was a nasty bruise on his back and another on his thighs. Could not Mr Halley use the strap for minor offences such as "talking in class?" The father produced a well worn strap suitable for the purpose. Mr Halley objected that it was essential that corporal punishment should not be a laughing matter and that it must really hurt and be feared, if the class and the school were not to dissolve into disorder. Straps were for children and canes were for high-spirited adolescent boys who were prone to be particularly disorderly. The father invited Mr Halley to take one from the strap so that he could demonstrate its adequacy. Following this experience Mr Halley was converted, saving the cane for serious offences and concentrating on accuracy rather than severity. He gained a formidable reputation as a disciplinarian and hurt on a great many occasions during the 15 years of his reign with some 25000 strokes applied to approximately 3534 young male backsides.