Meantime Mrs Aventura, having heard how her pupil had been abused, decamped in the night with all her money and jewels, and was never more heard of. As for the colonel he was brought to a court-martial, and having first been dismissed the service, was then transported for seven years by the civil judge for the rape and assault. Lillias went back to her friends.
I read the whole affair in the newspapers at the time, and soon forgot the adventure, in the gaieties of Cannanore. My reputation had preceded me, and on my arrival I found myself caressed by all the ladies, and my society sought after by the men. I had a happy knack of telling a droll story and could set a whole mess table in a roar at something I had said, without allowing any smile to appear on my own lips. It is a great secret in telling a funny anecdote, or giving vent to a witticism, for so sure as the narrator or wit smiles at his own joke, his listeners will compose their countenances into gravity, and if he adds, as some really witty fellows do, 'Not bad that, eh?' then woe to him, he will at once be voted a bore, and never more listened to.
I now commenced a regular course of fucking with native women. The usual charge for the general run of them is two rupees. For five, you may have the handsomest Mohammedan girls, and any of the high-caste women who follow the trade of courtesan. The 'fivers' are a very different set of people from their frail sisterhood in European countries; they do not drink, they are scrupulously cleanly in their persons, they are sumptuously dressed, they wear the most costly jewels in profusion, they are well educated, and sing sweetly, accompanying their voices on the viola da gamba, a sort of guitar, they generally decorate their hair with clusters of clematis or the sweet-scented bilwa flowers entwined with pearls or diamonds. They understand in perfection all the arts and wiles of love, are capable of gratifying any tastes, and in face and figure they are unsurpassed by any women in the world.
They have one custom that seems singular to a European — they not only shave the mons Veneris, but take a clean sweep underneath it, so that until you glance at their hard, full and enchanting breasts, handsome beyond compare, you fancy you have got hold of some unfledged girl.
The Rajpootanee girls pluck out the hairs as they appear with a pair of tweezers, as the ancient Greek women did, and this I think a very preferable process to the shaving.
It is impossible to describe the enjoyment I experienced in the arms of these sirens. I have had English, French, German and Polish women of all grades of society since, but never, never did they bear a comparison with those salacious, succulent houris of the Far East.
But although immersed in this voluptuous debauchery, I did not entirely neglect my fair countrywomen. I found time to go to balls, routs and dinner parties; I found time even for hunting and shooting, and studying the language and dialects of the country.
What an exciting, jovial life it was!
Amongst the ladies of the cantonment was one who more particularly took my fancy: she was the wife of a Major T-, of HM's — th Dragoons, a lovely blue-eyed blonde of twenty-two, blooming and fresh as a daisy. Her husband was sixty if he was a day, and most incontestably to prove himself an ass, had married her from a Hammersmith boarding school, some five years before, that is, when she was seventeen. She had then seen nothing of the world, and hardly knew what love was. But the major was her guardian, and thus secured to himself both her person and fortune, which was considerable. To this sweet creature I paid such marked attention that we soon understood one another. She the more readily accepted the intrigue as my extremely youthful appearance, to a certain extent, disarmed scandal, and she wished to draw off from the public eye her real cavaliere servente, Captain M-, by whom she had had a child, which passed for the major's. Indeed, Major T- was very fond of the little fellow, and devoutly believed he was of his own begetting. But all this I found out afterwards.
The major was a great invalid, and had a separate room, but seldom essaying to perform his marital duties, and signally failing when he did try. This was the state of things when I set my wits to work how I might seduce this beautiful, but artful woman. I used to pass hours at her house nearly every day, hold the silk she wished to wind, turn the leaves of her music book while she played or sang at the piano, and make sketches in her album, and everything that lovers could say to each other we had said. I had had my hand down her breasts and up her clothes many times, and she would sit with me on a sofa in the darkened room (all the apartments being kept very dark in India to keep them cool), with her hand in my trousers, manipulating for half an hour at a time.
Occasionally the poor major would look in, seem pleased to find me there, instead of Captain M- (whose presence always made him uneasy, I could not tell why, as he was not of a jealous nature), and would accost me with, 'Ah, young S- there you are again, making love to my wife, you young dog!' and he would laugh good-naturedly, and slap me on the back, and wily Mrs T- would say, 'Oh yes, he's a good little boy, and as long as he is so he shall be my knight and wear my colours.' Poor old major, if he had only known, but he did not know, and hadn't the shadow of a suspicion of me! Tant mieux.
Now it happened that one day I had dropped in as usual, when Mrs T- told me, with an arch look, that the major was gone down to the Presidency on an affair of business and would not be back for a week, and that, it being the native festival of Huli, she had allowed all her servants to go and see the show, except the gardener, whom she would now tell to deny her to any visitors who might call.
She went on to the verandah and gave him orders and returned to me. I threw myself into her arms.
'Not yet, not yet! my dear boy,' said she. 'I must first go over the bungalow and see if those rascals have fastened the doors and jalousies, for in their absence some scoundrel might enter the premises and rob the house, and — and — ' she burst into a laugh.
'We might be surprised,' said I, completing the sentence.
'Good,' said she, 'that is just what I mean.'
We secured the jalousies and doors, and carefully searched all the rooms. Satisfied that all was safe, I went with her into her chamber, when, having double-locked the door, 'Now, my dear love,'
said she, 'do what you like, I am all your own!' In a minute we were both naked, sporting on the bed.
Then for the first time I had a full expansive view of that lovely woman. I revelled in the woman's cunt with its luxurious fringe of fair locks that curled above, on the sides, and beneath it. I never saw so much hair on a woman before; she had quite a forest under her arms. It was a novelty to me, and pleased me; I entwined my fingers in it, I combed and parted it, and overcome by an irresistible lust, ended by gamahuching her, to her great delight. I had so wriggled about, that at length I got astride of her with my rear pressed down on her glorious great bubbies, and felt them rise and fall as they panted with desire. Presently she grasped my thighs, and raising me up, took my pestle in her mouth, and sucked it with such ardour that I feared every minute she would either bite it off or swallow it whole. Suddenly she stopped, exclaiming, 'Oh, 'tis too much! I cannot bear it another instant; turn round! put it in! fuck! fuck! do fuck me!' I lost no time in complying. Then she clasped me with such strength, she murmured forth such lascivious words, she did such lascivious things, she quite frightened me. Why this woman, said I to myself, is a perfect Messalina. We were both so wrought up that in ten minutes our climax came; gods! how she ground her teeth, how she bit, pinched, and thrust her finger up my — . And then we both lay panting, quite exhausted.
At length, recovering a little, she wiped her beautiful face with her handkerchief, saying faintly, give me the eau-de-Cologne off the dressing-table, and open a bottle of claret; you will find some in the cooler in the corner of the room.