Lee was a handsome pupil, naturally well-built without working out with good proportions. As his headmaster I had frequently had cause to punish him as he seemed to have difficulty avoiding trouble.
I was curious to see how fit he was and had been carefully observing his PE lessons. He had well-developed legs that looked very impressive in his shorts and his shoulders filled his rugby shirt like a young male model. I often gave boys press-ups and other exercises as punishments for minor infringements of the rules but had not yet caught young Lee for anything minor. i decided that I could wait no longer so would have to employ more devious tactics.
When I returned to my study after lunch three boys were waiting outside as instructed. Scott had started working out at the very young age of 12 and now that he was 16 he was seriously fit, with a very well-developed upper body and possibly the most powerful legs I had seen on a 16 year old. He was not shy about discussing his workouts, to my delight, but had never in his time at the school broken a single rule: he was seriously obedient.
Ian was a naturally muscular young man whose ambition was to join the marines. His workouts were basic but thorough and he had strong legs from running in the evenings and a powerful chest from the daily routine of press-ups. I caught him with his shirt untucked last week and ordered 50 press-ups. He dropped to the floor and pumped out 50 perfect press-ups and then stood up with his chest bulging but barely out of breath. Seeing the ease with which he had done them I ordered another 50 - and he duly obliged!
I called the three boys into my office and they lined up in front of me, forming the most impressive sight for a headmaster's eyes. none of them knew why they were there or what they had done, but more importantly they would assume that the other two did!
I began to lecture them in very general terms about attitude, high standards, not letting the side down, and so on. My aim was simple - to see Lee doing press-ups. In fact, I was sure that I would iminently see the three most impressive boys in the year doing press-ups at my feet. And it would be their choice. How? read on...
"Gentlemen", I said, "you are too near the end of your school careers for me to assume that time will improve the situation. Some intervention on my part is necessary to ensure immediate progress." So saying, I turned to the rack of canes in the corner of the room and pulled one out. This was again intended to look like a random selection but I knew exactly the cane I wanted: it was a crook-handled senior cane that I used on the older boys when I wished to ensure that the message was clearly understood. This particular model had more spring than flexibility and this meant a significant degree of bite. Boys left with weals rather than stripes and it was therefore effective when I wanted to give, say, three strokes as a taste that a boy would not forget in a hurry, thus ensuring that he did not return again for the full six. lee was the only one of the boys who had ever been caned and he knew instantly that this cane was the business. Only I knew that it wouldn't be seeing any action today.
I made no fuss about the cane, other than intentionally indicating that I expected to be using it shortly. I appeared to flex it absent mindedly behind my back as I continued.
"I shall give you two minutes gentlemen to consider your own conduct recently and assess how seriously you have let yourselves down. I shall then offer you a straight choice of penalty: if you believe that you deserve only a minor deterent to stay on the straight and narrow you may give me 50 press-ups. Goood ones mind. If however you honestly feel that you have not been pulling your weight you might ask for a caning to help keep you in check. I think perhaps a strokes for every 10 press-ups would be a good ratio, making five on this occasion."
You see my intention, of course. 5 strokes or 50 press-ups was no contest, especially to these boys. I waited patiently, flexing the cane, and then marked the end of the time by laying the cane across my desk. I walked across to the open floor space in the centre of my room and summoned Ian to me. he stood to attention in front of me and looked truly powerful in his blazer which accentuated his broad back.
"What is it to be?"
"I'll do the press-ups please sir".
"Very well. Remove your blazer and put it on the chair." (The chair, incidentally, that was only used for one purpose, bending boys over for caning.)
He stepped back in front of me and got into the press-up position. I noted that his hands were quite wide apart and his feet were too, meaning his strong legs did not need each other's support. His first press-up was perfect with only his chest touching the floor, and he came back to fully-straight arms before going down again. And so he continued, flawlessly, effortlessly and smoothly to 50. Then he stood smartly in front of me. There was not a sign of breathlessness, just his powerful chest rising and falling slowly beneath his shirt. He must have a real adonis of a body, I thought.
"Replace your blazer and rejoin the others". He did so quietly.
"Lee!".
He walked over to me. I had him go second in case he found some excuse to avoid the inevitable. I won't bore you with every last detail, but he too chose press-ups and as I had suspected performed them with relative ease. It was a sight than I really enjoyed (if you understand me!) and I was disappointed that there was no way to record it for a future date. He rose from his exertion, rather more out of breath than his predessor, and rejoined the others.
"Scott!".
This would be a formality but a delightful finale as this boy was a marvel to see. He stood smartly in front of me. And then it happened.
"I'll take a caning, please sir."
Hours passed in the few second while I took this in. What could I do? I had given him a choice and he had made it. I had even selected a specially painful cane in the belief that I would not be using it. And he was the last so I could not amend the rules now.
"Very well, but I warn you that I do not can half-heartedly."
"I know that sir."
Did he half smile of did I imagine it? I turned and walked to my desk and picked up the cane. He was clearly keen to get the ordeal over with as he moved the chair into position without being asked and stood to attention behind it. I took up position to his left and intoned the dreaded words:
"Five strokes. Bend over!"
I have caned many boys in my time and almost without exception had to position a boy for his first caning. Not this time. His feet were decently apart and he was bent well over so that his buttocks were now his most prominent feature. I noticed that he had taken a good firm grip of the chair.
He was, of course, a perfect boy to cane but I had never let myself dream it would be possible. His muscular legs mean a perfect backside and the cane looked wonderful when rested in position for the first stroke. I decided to enjoy it while it lasted.
Though I say so myself, the first stroke was a beauty. It landed dead centre and fully covered both buttocks. More importantly, he made no reaction.
And this was repeated three more times. I was caning as hard as I could and he was takling it like a man. Onnly the fifth stroke produced an audible intake of breath. And he stayed obediently in position.
"Stand up."
He did so without fuss. What a stunningly impressive young man!
"Rejoin the others.
"I do not expect to see you three in my office again this term. Take this as a warning to be remembered. Now return prompty to your classes."
They turned to leave. But I needed answers and spoke again.
"Scott, you must wait and complete the punishment book."
He did so and I carefully made the entry and asked him to sign. He stood calmly when I closed the book.
"Why?"
"Why what sir?"
"Why did you take a caning and not do the press-ups?"
"I have always wanted to know if I could take a proper caning like a man, as my father would say. You gave me the opportunity to find out. Thank you."
Oh no, I thought, thank you!