'I'm afraid you've had rather a rough time, sir,' said the youth, as the cork flew upwards with that delicious 'pop' which is only really appreciated in moments of extreme stress. 'Our skipper is very odd at times, and is dotty on no names being mentioned by his passengers.'
'Then you collect friends often like this?' queried Lord Reggie.
'This is only the second lot, sir.'
'And how in the name of all that's mortal or immortal did a kid like you get into this? Are you that young man's son?'
'Oh, no. As a matter of fact, I am a cousin of yours, Lord Reginald, but you wouldn't know me by sight and I mustn't tell my name, of course.'
'But why are you here?'
'I-er-left Eton for the-well, usual reason, and my people wanted to send me to Canada, but I ran away, and S-… I mean our skipper, brought me here. It's a jolly sight better fun than learning farming.'
'You seem to have learned a bit since you left Eton for “the usual reason", and what's your job here?'
'Well, I look after the skipper a good bit-help him to undress sometimes when there's been a hot night, and generally make myself useful. Shall I help you undress? You look tired.'
Lord Reggie did not demur, and thought a lot more about Harrow.
The boy dexterously got him out of his clothes, dug a suit of pyjamas out of his bag, and Lord Reggie lay back on the soft bed with a sigh of relief.
Cyril gave him a cigarette, and Lord Reggie, holding his hand to steady the match, felt an extraordinary thrill of lust. The lad was so very pretty, far prettier than any girls he had ever seen. He looked straight in his eyes for the moment, and the boy bent his head towards him. They kissed, and both blushed.
'Stay here and look after me; I'm feeling uncommon rotten,' said Lord Reggie.
'I will.'
'Come and sit on the bed.'
The boy did-and-to cut a long story short-Lord Reggie made no bones about it. His mind went twelve years back in a flash: he was at school again. Cyril's dainty face had more fascination for him then than any woman's; even chic little Miss Hofer of Pittsburgh, millionaire's daughter, to whom he was fiance, faded from his memory.
Cyril undressed in a twinkling and nestled up in bed to Lord Reggie. For twelve years the latter had not felt masculine fingers on his penis, and he thrilled. Their tongues met as they kissed tenderly, and Lord Reggie's hand strayed over the balls and the vibrating prick of the pretty lad. Their legs entwined and their hands met in clasping their organs together.
Lord Reggie's cock was long and very slender. He placed his mouth to Cyril's and got a passionate kiss in answer. 'May I?' he whispered.
'Yes, dear, let me kiss it-just to soften it.' He threw the bedclothes off and knelt between Lord Reggie's legs, pressing his lips to the bursting glans of his penis, first softly licking with his tongue, then sucking the member deep into his mouth.
Lord Reginald, almost bursting with lust, thrust him aside. 'Now,' he said.
The youth shuddered a little and lay with his back to Lord Reggie, whose legs were clasped round his waist, and turned his face to receive hot kisses.
They spent simultaneously. Cyril panted exhaustedly as the young nobleman's prick slipped, dripping and wet, from between their bodies.
'I'll get you a drink,' he said, when he had found his bream, and, after a fond kiss, he crossed the room to a cupboard, and brought out bottles and glasses.
'Do the others do-er-this to you?' he asked.
'Some of them; of course the skipper has first call-but you should see my brother, he's far prettier than I am. He'll let you have him. He's in bed now. I'll get him for you tonight, if you like, but, I say, you know those two ripping girls that came aboard with you-couldn't you get them to come with Jim (that's my brother) and me? You could watch. It would be topping, wouldn't it?'
Lord Reggie mentally decided that it would, but thought he would wait.
'Make it in ten days' time,' he said, 'and I'll sound the kids.'
The boy dressed, kissed a pretty farewell, and went. Lord Reggie turned over and slept the day soundly through till he was awakened by Mr. Silverwood.
'Say,' said the American, 'you'll get no dinner if you don't rouse yourself, an' they tell me it's going to be a dandy dinner, with a concert afterwards. We don't need to dress, the boss tells me.'
The dinner was 'dandy' and the subsequent concert quite good. The Sisters Lovett, realising the possibilities of absolute freedom, let themselves go right out, and Miss Jepps was well above the ordinary class of amateur performers. She sang French songs which let the tail go with the hide, and her success was instantaneous. Mr. Billy Neale and exacting manager, now pirate, Mr. Forest, made a strong male element, and several of the young pirates proved themselves comedians of no mean order. One of them, a young gentleman who had won fame as an actor at Oxford, offered to write a little playlet (of a semi-erotic nature) as he could command so much talent. It was arranged for performance when they should reach the island, where, explained the young man, there was a regular theatre.
CHAPTER FIVE. Nearing the Island Home
The days slipped quickly by. Aided by perfect weather the New Decameron put the knots behind her at an astonishing rate. The weather became very hot and the very lightest of costumes prevailed. The Sisters Lovett initiated the custom of appearing on deck in open-work chemises and nothing else, and the pirates all worked stripped to the waist. Of the lady pirates, Maudie invariably came on deck naked in the mornings to be douched with the hose, an example soon followed by Hony and Carrie.
The pirates showed themselves splendid seamen, and if debauchery was allowed a free hand in the evening, it was hard work during the day. The New Decameron was as spick and span as the hand of man could make her, and necessary fire and boat drills were never omitted.
The love affairs of the pirates and their guests soon settled down into recognised grooves. The Sisters Lovett frankly professed themselves harlots and were openly raffled for every night. Carrie developed a sentimental affection for several of the young men, and let them share her; Little Hony stuck religiously to the young man. It had gone much further than mere lust with her now, and she was genuinely in love.
Miss Jepps, too, considered the matter from a purely financial point, but she threw herself heart and soul into the game, and the various pirates got full value for their money. Her one sorrow-that she had left nearly all her frocks behind on the Mesopotamia- was solaced by loans from the lady pirates, who had some exquisite toilettes on board.
A word as to these lady pirates: though none so exquisite as Maudie, the 'divinely tall and most divinely fair', yet in their various styles they were very, very tempting. Connie was a brunette, apparently quite young, petite, with a perfectly moulded, supple little figure. She had laughing, hazel eyes, and a most delicious foot and ankle, which she took every opportunity of showing; in fact, when she sat down and crossed her legs she generally showed well above the knee, so that the pretty tan-coloured flesh showed a tempting bare streak between her stockings and drawers. She fell to the lot of Mr. Silverwood. Mamie was American, widow of an English nobleman, who had done something really shady on the Stock Exchange and shot himself. She had been implicated but had escaped in time. She was very svelte and Gibson-girlish, and she suited Mr. Moss Hell down to the ground. Lucy, the last, was an older woman, probably thirty, very dark and Spanish, with a figure almost corpulent. Hannibal McGregor devoted his rough and ready Scotch method of love-making to her.
And what of the remaining two male captives? Herr Kunst was far too busy concocting novel schemes of piracy, with which he bored the young man to extinction, to think of bodily pleasures, and as for Lord Reggie, he 'let go the painter', frankly dated himself back, and stuck to Cyril.