For a month not a single boy had been caned. Mr Appleyards systems were working so well that there had been almost no need for corporal punishment. A couple of juniors had been slippered for being out of bed after lights out, but otherwise there had been no serious indiscipline of any kind.
But things were not all that they seemed. An air of complacency had set in and many boys thought they could get away with anything. In the third form dorm it started with Neilson issuing a challenge to walk down the length of the dorm stark naked. Skinner took up the challenge without turning a hair and paraded himself with every illicit torch in the dorm shining on him.
Challenge had followed challenge over the next few nights, involving more and more daring exploits. Most meant that boys had to go out of the dorm and fetch items from far parts of the school and return with them unscathed. Nearly every boy in the dorm had accepted at least one challenge and the sense of excitement mounted. But at the same time, imagination began to fail in the making up of fresh challenges.
"Ive got a great one," said Davidstow, sitting up in bed. "I challenge someone to fetch a cane from Appleyards study."
There was general scoffing and disbelief from the rest of the dorm. It seemed impossible. But Davies was lying in the dark calculating. He had already fetched a Bunsen burner from the chemistry lab and this didnt seem all that much harder.
"Ill do it," he said. "But everyonell have to pay me if I pull it off."
"How much?" Neilson demanded.
"A whack of the cane for all of you." There was a burst of giggling. "On your bare arses."
"Ill take that," said Davidstow. "Youll never do it."
One by one the rest agreed to the terms of the challenge, and Davies set out. It was quite chilly in the passage and hed have been glad of his slippers and dressing gown, but he had a mad idea that without it he could claim to be sleep walking.
It was a long way to the far end of the building where Mr Appleyards study was, but most of it was in darkness so he wasnt frightened of being seen. In one of the senior dorms he could hear some sort of disturbance going on, but if anything that would take attention away from what he was doing.
Once downstairs though the corridors were still lit and he was faced with the choice of moving fast or hiding in doorways and checking for anyone moving about. But there seemed to be no-one. The whole place seemed dead. He slipped on tip-toes down the final length of the corridor and reached the door. He pulled the outer door open and then pushed at the inner one. He closed both doors behind him and was inside the dreaded headmasters study.
It was pitch dark because the curtains were drawn, but he knew where everything was. Twice, the old headmaster had caned him and he knew pretty well that Mr Appleyard had not moved anything. He felt for the umbrella stand behind the door where the canes were kept. They clicked together as he fumbled for one –
And then he froze.
There was someone outside in the corridor. Several people. He could hear them whispering to each other. And then from way off down the corridor the voice of Mr Appleyard himself.
"Line up, gentlemen, please. Face the wall." And the whispering outside fell silent.
Frantically he surveyed the darkness of the room. There must be somewhere he could hide. The window! he remembered that the study had a bay window, across which the heavy curtain closed to leave a space behind it. He stubbed his toe, but made it – just – to the barely adequate hiding place. He was now bathed in moonlight, of which only odd gleams had penetrated the tiny gaps in the curtain, but he was fairly certain that he was safely hidden. In his panic he remembered a story he had read where someone hiding behind a curtain was betrayed by his feet, but here the curtain reached right to the floor.
The door was flung open, the light crashed on and Mr Appleyard ushered inside a line of seven boys from the lower-fifth dormitory. "Line up over there," the headmaster ordered, and Davies sensed them less than a foot away the other side of his curtain.
"Gentlemen, I am perfectly aware that it is the custom to celebrate your friends birthdays with a little ragging, and Im prepared to be tolerant of that. I am even quite understanding when that ragging takes the form of applying unpleasant substances to intimate parts of their bodies."
In his hiding place, Davies silently sniggered. Theyd been caught putting boot polish on somebodys balls.
"Though in that case my understanding would not prevent my punishing you. But in this case I find what you did completely repugnant and unacceptable. To shave a boys pubic hair is not only humiliating in the extreme – and I ask you to consider how you would feel if it had been done to you – but also extremely dangerous. None of you is yet an expert in the use of a razor and one error could have led to the most serious consequences for Jenkinsons future life. But then to follow it up with an application of permanent ink to his private parts was inexcusable."
More silent sniggering from Davies.
"Gentlemen, I hope none of you are finding this funny." Instant stifling of sniggers behind the curtain.
"I would be failing in my duty if I did not instantly administer a most serious caning. But before I decide on the level of punishment that would be appropriate, I would like the boy who actually performed the shaving and the one who applied the ink to own up."
There was silence for a moment. Then Davies heard two voices.
"I put the ink on, sir."
"Me, sir. Did the shaving. I was ever so careful, sir."
"Im sure you were, Pole, but nevertheless what you did was cruel, disgusting and dangerous, was it not?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well. Pole and Hendricks, you will receive six strokes on your bare bottoms. The rest of you will receive four with your trousers on. Any questions? Or comments?"
"Please, sir." It sounded like Scudder. "Were very sorry about it, sir. We didnt mean any harm."
"Then you will have to think more carefully in future, wont you?"
"Yes, sir."
Davies heard chairs being moved around and guessed that this was where they were going to bend over. He could also hear some very subdued murmuring from the boys.
"Ashford, I shall cane you first. Come to the chairs please." Davies knew the burly lower fifth former quite well and could imagine him stepping forward to be beaten. But there was a diversion.
"Please, sir, we dont think Hendricks and Pole should get worse than the rest of us, sir. We were all equally to blame."
"Really? And is that the view of you all?"
There was a muffled chorus of agreement.
"Very well. All of you will receive six on your bare bottoms. Ashford. If you please."
Davies thought, serve them right for not keeping quiet. Of course they had hoped that hed reduce Poles and Hendrickss beatings not the other way round, but they could hardly argue now.
"Lower your trousers, Ashford, please."
Davies had seen most of these boys in the showers and now imagined Ashfords meaty arse stretched over the chair backs. Even though he was expecting it the first crack of the cane made him jump. It was louder than he remembered from his previous visits to this room, and the wait between each of the strokes seemed never ending, so that every one was a new shock. Ashford only made a small noise on the last couple of strokes, but even that surprised Davies who wasnt used to hearing boys reduced to yelling by a beating.
"Devine," said Mr Appleyard, and the next boys punishment started.
And all at once Davies was overcome with curiosity to see what was happening just the other side of the curtain that hid him. It was exciting to be there and hear these older boys being caned on their bare bottoms, but to actually see it ..... That would be just the most amazing thing ever.
He could see a sliver of light coming through where the two curtains met. Silently he shifted till he could put his eye to the tiny gap. He had a momentary glimpse of Devines naked backside stretched over the chairs, but then, just as the next stroke of the cane was delivered, the boy standing just there shifted a little and his shoulder blocked out what was happening. He tried shifting from side to side, but he still couldnt see more than the boys pyjama jacket.
And then he made the fatal mistake. Maybe, he thought, if he crouched down he could see better through the boys legs. So he lowered himself silently till he was crouching, but now the curtains were touching and he couldnt see anything at all. As he straightened up, his elbow brushed against something that he hadnt been aware of till then. It was a small, slender plant stand, and on it was a bowl containing a potted aspidistra. He felt it start to topple, half realised what it was, made a grab for it, almost got a good hold on it, started to breathe a sigh of relief, when plant, bowl, stand slipped from his grasp and crashed to the floor.
He stood there like a rabbit caught in headlights. The curtains were swept back and there, towering over him, cane in hand, was the terrible Mr Appleyard himself, and behind him half a dozen startled boys. The headmaster was just as surprised as Davies, but in him terror was replaced by a combination of anger and amusement.
"Can I help you, boy?" he said, and the lower fifth formers laughed. At least the ones whose backsides were not yet in flames gave a small chuckle. Davies felt all their eyes on him – even Devine, stretched over the chair backs with his trousers round his knees, had turned his head to see what had caused this interruption to his beating.
But Davies couldnt speak a word. His tongue seemed to be filling his mouth, and he wasnt sure, but he might have pissed himself. Mr Appleyards hand on his shoulder pulled him out into the room, the focus of every boys eyes.
"You can explain presently. Stand there while I finish what were about here."
Davies had to stand by the bureau under the side window and watch the remaining performance. Devine still had two strokes of his beating to come. Mr Appleyard took his place once more, wound himself up and lashed the cane into the defenceless boy. Devine took the strokes in silence but Davies flinched at each crack of the cane, as the realisation filled his head that before he got back to his bed this same fate was all but certain to be visited on his own backside.
After Devine it was Fordson, a tall, blond boy, whose skinny bottom, when he lowered his pyjama trousers looked no bigger than a pair of grapefruit. The very first crack of the cane made him yell a little, but after that he took the beating bravely, even though each fresh stroke raised a vivid scarlet weal across both cheeks. Davies was standing almost directly behind the chairs, facing the victims bottom and had the best view possible of what was going on. It would have been thrilling, were it not for the ever-present certainty that he was watching his own future.
Then came Hendricks, a dark-haired boy who everybody liked. Juniors like Davies looked up to him, admiring his open-faced look and cheeky grin, that was still in place as he knelt on the chairs and dropped his trousers. His backside was lean and hard, the muscles clearly defined and shapely. Mr Appleyard applied the cane a good deal harder than he had so far. The black smudges on the boys hands showed that he was more culpable than the others no matter what they said. Each stroke started with two strides of run up and there was a little bit of blood by the end, though Hendricks took the whole beating with no more than a few gasps in the back of his throat.
Laing was next, which was a surprise even to himself. He had a reputation as a bit of scholar, normally a hundred miles away from any trouble. But he undoubtedly had taken part in the ragging of Jenkinson, and here he was for his first ever taste of the headmasters cane. He was a well-built, good-looking boy who climbed on to the chairs and dropped his trousers as though this was a weekly occurrence for him. The muscles of his bottom were solid and sinewy from almost daily runs. The first stroke made him whimper a bit, but then he made no sound as the remaining strokes were administered. Davies noticed that all six landed across the lowest part of his bottom, so close together that there seemed to be just the one band of bruised flesh when it was over.
Pole had wielded the razor, so Mr Appleyard beat him hardest of all. A full two stride approach and the cane lashed in with the full weight of his arm and shoulder behind it. All six strokes made him cry out a little, but he held still and there was a little blood down the right hand side of his bottom. The sight of that made Daviess stomach churn. What if Mr Appleyard made his bottom bleed?
Finally, it was Scudders turn over the chairs. He was a tall boy with curly blond hair. His backside was skinny but sturdy and he must have been slippered recently because there were patches of blue bruise on the points of both cheeks. Mr Appleyard caned him hard, but he took it without a sound.
All seven boys stood in a line, most of them still rubbing at the seats of their trousers. Davies could only guess what they must feel like, but their faces showed that they were in a good deal of pain.
"Gentlemen, I hope I shall not have to do anything like this again. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," they mumbled.
"Very well. Back to bed without talking. You can wait for the morning before you display your wounds. Off you go."
As they went each boy shook the headmasters hand and he wished them good night. Davies watched them go with a sinking heart. As soon as he was alone there he would have to explain what he had been doing, and then he would be caned.
Mr Appleyard closed the door and sat down behind his desk, signalling to Davies to come and stand in front of him. For a moment he looked at the boy without speaking. He was a blond, cherubic little chap, but with a look of determination in his eye that could be a good point, or a bad if treated badly.
"I think youve got some explaining to do, young man."
"Yes, sir."
"Well?"
He decided that there was nothing for it but the truth. "Weve been daring each other to do things after lights out, sir," he began. "Like I dared someone to bring back Pattersons jock-strap from the washroom, sir, only he didnt do it. And tonight someone dared me to come and get a cane from your study, sir, and I nearly did it, only you came with those boys, sir, which was jolly bad luck, sir, and I had to hide, but that beastly – no, I dont mean that, sir – that plant pot fell over and you caught me, sir."
"Yes. I rather agree with you about the plant pot. And what is your reward going to be if you succeed in this dare."
"Well, sir – I –"
"Yes?"
"I get to give all of them a whack with the cane, sir."
"Do you indeed?"
"Yes, sir."
"That would certainly save me the trouble of coming up and caning all of them for ragging after lights out, wouldnt it?" The head grinned at the boy and slowly the boy grinned back as he started to understand where they were going. "Yes. I think you should succeed in your dare." Davies could hardly believe it. "And who is going to bring the cane back again? You?"
"No, sir. I could dare – I could dare the boy who dared me and he could bring it back."
"I think thats an excellent plan. Go and choose a cane. Take one of the smaller ones. Youll find that does just as good a job."
Davies went to the umbrella stand. There were about ten canes there, some bigger, some smaller, and one massive one without a hooked handle. The boy pulled one out and turned round. Mr Appleyard had stood up and come round the desk. He held out his hand.
"Give it to me, please, Davies."
Davies handed it over. He knew what was coming next.
"Now. How many strokes of the cane do you think you should get for being out of your dormitory, breaking in here, destroying my plant pot and intending to steal one of my canes?"
"Dont know, sir."
"Do you think four would do the job?"
"Probably, sir."
"Hop up on the chairs then, and well get it over with. Oh, just a minute, Do you see that big dictionary there in the bookcase? Put that on the chair first, then youll bend over easier."
Davies fetched the dictionary with a heavy heart, placed it on the seat where he would have to kneel and looked at the man who was going to beat him.
"Good man. Now bend right over. Fold your arms and rest on your elbows."
Davies climbed on to the dictionary and before Mr Appleyard could stop him pulled the cord of his pyjamas, pushed them down over his bottom and almost threw himself over the chair backs. Mr Appleyard very nearly told him to get up and pull up his trousers, since he had not intended to beat so young a boy with nothing on. But then he recalled that matters of prestige were at stake in such things. The boy would go up enormously in the eyes of his pals if his bare bottom were caned, and the marks would be a lasting reminder of his bravery. And in any case pyjamas provided almost no protection from a cane.
Daviess bottom was small and round. Mr Appleyard suspected that there were few if any junior boys more closely acquainted with corporal punishment. So – four of the best it was.
He took aim and swung the cane back till it was behind his shoulder, then whipped it forward, snapping his wrists and driving through the boys flesh with the last foot of the cane. The boy cried out, but made no move to get up. The red stripe across the white of his skin showed the stroke had landed in the ideal place, two inches above the junction of thigh and buttock. The next was a full inch and a half lower, right where it would hurt the most. The boy yelped and his feet kicked, but he lay still. The third landed between the first two, filling in the area of unharmed skin. The last crossed the first three and the boy yelled aloud. He couldnt believe how painful it was. The band of fire across the lowest part of his bottom felt as though it had fastened itself to his flesh and was eating into the muscles.
"Get up," said Mr Appleyard. Davies climbed down off the chairs and rubbed at his bottom. His face registered the agony that the cane had made. Painfully he fastened his trousers, and rubbed himself again.
"Right," said Mr Appleyard. "Are you ready for the next part?"
"Yes, sir."
"Now give them a good hard whack each?"
"Yes, sir."
"Off you go then. And good luck. And Davies."
"Yes, sir?"
"No more dares after this."
"No sir." And headmaster and boy grinned at each other.
Davies took the cane and scampered back up the stairs and along the corridor to his dormitory. His friends were all waiting anxiously. He had been gone more than half an hour. He waved the cane over his head and brought it whistling down on to a counterpane.
"Whereve you been?" demanded Davidstow.
"He caught me," Davies said as coolly as he could.
"What?!" His friends were incredulous.
"He came in while I was in his study. Hed caught some lower fifths shaving a chaps bollocks and he caned them on their bare arses."
"With you watching?"
"Thats right. Then he caned me."
"On your bare arse?"
"Yup. Want to see?" By the light of a torch he showed off the now spectacular weals across his bottom. They had turned dark blue and purple and had swollen up like ropes under his skin.
"So gentlemen," he announced in an excellent imitation of Mr Appleyards voice, and every other heart in the room sank. "I think well have you over the ends of your beds with your trousers down."
"But how did you get the cane if he caught you?"
"Waited at the top of the stairs till he went back to his house and then went in again and pinched it." He could lie beautifully when occasion called for it.
They couldnt argue about it and Neilson who had agreed the dare led the way, dropping his trousers and stretching over the iron rail at the foot of the bed, the way all of them had done at some time for a prefect. They looked so funny bending over like that with their bums on show that Davies almost laughed.
He enjoyed caning them. He liked the snap of the cane against their skin and the funny way some of them yelled. He didnt really do it hard – except on Neilson and Davidstow of course because they had got him into it, and Redgrave because everyone hated him and he was too wet to actually do a dare himself, and then Burgess of course because he was weird. He didnt want to let them up afterwards, but surveyed the two lines of bottoms with the torch before he said they could get up.
When they were all back in bed and Nelson was taking the cane back to Mr Appleyards study – and oh, how Davies hoped that the head would catch him and cane his bare backside – Davies explored the four stinging ropes of bruise across his bottom. They were still burning and tender but he was as happy as he thought it possible for a boy to be.