Desirous to make sure whether all this was not the effect of fancy, I determined on making a trial of the consequences which a good flogging would again produce upon myself, and thereby ascertain whether a similar result would again follow. I therefore deliberately engaged in some mischief, which I knew would insure punishment. I was not mistaken in my calculation, and a good sound flogging I did receive. Nor was I disappointed in my expectations as to the result it would produce. Whether it was the mere effect of the punishment itself, or whether it was the consequence of the associations connected with it which brought back to my imagination every circumstance connected with my previous flogging, I cannot tell, but I had not been subjected to the blows of the birch rod more than a few minutes when I felt a similar sensation pervade me to that which I had formerly experienced on a like occasion, and again your little friend became furious and excited, and swelled out so much that I was glad I had taken the precaution to let my shirt fall down, and had bent my body in such a manner as to enable me to conceal it from observation.
All that afternoon it remained in the same excited state, and when I went to bed and began to get warm beneath the blankets, it started up in a swollen and inflamed condition, which continued till I fell asleep. My slumbers were enlivened with sweet dreams of you, and I fancied that you were again employed in the delicious operation you had once before performed upon me, and which in a short time produced the same charming result.
I awoke in the midst of the most intense delight, and, to my astonishment, I found my belly and the head of my little charmer all covered with the same liquid which you had previously made issue from it. All this only more increased my desire to procure further information on the subject, and I made up my mind to seek an explanation from one of my schoolfellows, and ascertain whether he could not clear up the matter for me.
The boy upon whom I fixed for this purpose was one nearly two years older than myself, who had always been very kind to me ever since I had been at school. Though not the biggest or the oldest, he was perhaps the handsomest boy in the school, and I somehow fancied that if he was disposed, he was quite able to enlighten me as to all I wanted to know. I had often been surprised, even before I had any suspicion on the subject, at the number of times he was up for punishment. It was not from his being behind the other boys in his lessons that this had occurred, for he was one of the cleverest boys in the school, but he was constantly saying or doing something which he must have known perfectly well would subject him to punishment. He was always the ringleader in all our misdeeds, and constantly put himself foremost in every piece of mischief that was committed, and when any investigation was made, he was ever the first to come forward and avow his share in it: in fact he seemed to take a pleasure in being found out when the consequences were to affect him alone. In place of getting more steady as he grew older, he seemed to get worse every day. Hardly a week passed without his having a sound flogging.
Latterly, when my suspicions had been fairly aroused, I watched him narrowly, and I once or twice tried to get him to speak to me openly on the subject of my curiosity, but he always evaded my questions and seemed to wish to appear not to understand my hints.
Whenever I had an opportunity now, I observed him closely during the time he was flogged, and though he took great care to arrange his clothes so as not to permit much of his person to be visible, I was able to discover that a certain part was affected pretty much in the same way as my own similar appendage had been under the same circumstances. At length I contrived to get a full view of a charming instrument standing fully erect, whose size surprised and delighted me. This sight determined me to come to an understanding with him at all hazards.
The usual time for inflicting punishment was after school hours, just before we were dismissed to the playground. This was a large open space of considerable extent, and in some places covered with bushes and gorse. I had noticed that, especially latterly, Sidney had always repaired after his punishments to one of the most retired spots, taking a book with him, and that he remained there for a considerable time by himself. I had once or twice attempted to join him but he always sharply rebuked me for disturbing him, and insisted on my leaving him.
Having formed my resolution, I seized the opportunity of the next flogging he received and, hastening to the playground before him, I concealed myself among the bushes close to the place where I knew he was accustomed to resort. I had hardly hidden myself when he arrived, and, to my great satisfaction, placed himself in a situation where I could perfectly well observe him.
The first thing he did was to lay down the book he had brought in his hand, and to take out another from his pocket, which he began to peruse. I noticed that there were some plates in it which he looked at attentively, but I was too far off to see what the subjects were. After a few minutes he began to move his body about uneasily, and finally he unloosened a few buttons in front of his trousers and inserted his hand within them. Although I could not exactly see what he was about, I was pretty certain that he had taken his plaything in his hand, and I was soon enabled to discover that he was occasionally moving his hand up and down upon it. After the lapse of a few minutes he turned the front of his person towards the bushes amongst which I was concealed, evidently for the purpose of hiding his proceedings from the view of any one who might approach. He then unloosened the front of his trousers more completely, and pulled up his shirt.
I was now quite satisfied that my conjectures were correct, and I watched eagerly to discover what his object could be. When he had completely opened out his trousers, a most lovely priapus started out, in a magnificent state of erection. It was so much larger than my own at that time that I should have been greatly surprised at it if it had not been for the previous glimpse I had obtained of it during his flogging, but you may well suppose that I was greatly interested and pleased at its appearance. It stood quite stiffly up among a few short auburn curls which adorned the surrounding part of his fine white belly, the rosy head only half appearing out from its soft covering. He grasped it in his hand, which he moved slowly and gently up and down upon it. I did not require the recollection of the happiness your own dear hand had conferred upon me by a similar movement to convince me that the proceeding was productive of the greatest delight to him. His eyes sparkled and his face glowed with unusual animation and the lovely object in his grasp throbbed and extended its proportions, throwing off the entire coverings from its swollen point.
My first intention was to remain concealed till I had witnessed the whole of his proceedings, but I began to fear that some one might approach, and that I might be thus prevented from surprising him in such a situation as would force him to admit me into his confidence. I therefore crept through the bushes as quietly as possible until I was near enough to convince him that I must have seen perfectly well what he was doing, and that it would be no use for him to deny it. Then rising up out of my concealment, I addressed him saying, “Halloa, Sidney! What is this you are about?”
He seemed at first extremely enraged at my appearance, and turning his belly away from me so as to conceal the disorder of his dress, as well as to hide the object of my curiosity, he fiercely demanded what I wanted with him, threatening to give me a good thrashing for coming there to annoy him.
I was too earnestly bent upon my object to be easily frightened, so I sat down beside him and said, “Well, Sidney, my boy, you shall thrash me as much as you like afterwards, only listen first to what I have to say to you.”