Chapter 13: Making amends

I was ready to wake the Captain up at dawn and hesitantly knocked sharply on her door. There was no answer, so I tried again and again. When I opened the door, the Captain was not there and so I walked up onto the Main Deck and then the Upper Deck.

'Ahh ... Cabin Boy ... I have no need for you this morning', she told me from the other end of the Upper Deck.

'Yes Captain', I told her and went to leave.

'Go and help the crew in the galley', she bellowed and I went off to help Hannah and Julia prepare breakfast. Neither of them were talking to me much even when I tried to make some conversation and began to realise what Tara had said was true ... I was really was disliked all of a sudden. A pariah almost.

Feeling self-aware all of a sudden, I did all the tasks I was given as quickly as I could but was dismissed by Lieutenant Ivana at the end of service.

I found the Captain on the Upper Deck again who barely acknowledged my presence, as she chatted to Tara and Lieutenant Anne. Tara eyed me as I came up the steps but then went back to ignoring me.

'Ring the bell', the Captain told me after a couple of minutes of ignoring me and I descended the open air steps to bell outside the Captain's office.

She descended the steps as the crew assembled on the ship and I stood nervously awaiting my punishment from the court hearing.

Once everyone was together, the Captain spun round in the circle before resting her eyes on me.

'Bridget ... go to my room and get the Cat O' Nine Tails', she ordered.

'Before I thrash you into a messy pulp Cabin Boy, do you have anything you wish to say'

'Yes Captain', my voice quivering nervously. 'I want to apologise to you and your crew, but especially you for my conduct last night'. The Captain peered down her nose at me, and I continued. 'I knew ... we all did ... that Sadie took those items, but I tried to discredit an honest member of your crew in front of you to get her off. I owe you and everyone a lot more loyalty than that... '

'Go on', barked the Captain as my voice trailed away.

' ... I know I have a lot to learn but I really do want to be part of this ship in future voyages... '

'Why?', yelled the Captain. 'Why do you want to be on my ship?'

'Because I want to serve my country, I want to serve you. I hope there is a role for me here and you will let me stay. I know I will fuck up as I learn. And I know I will get punished when I do, like now, but I do want to stay for as long as I am wanted.'

'I am not sure if you are wanted!', the Captain exclaimed. 'And yes, you will get punished. As to your future, I have not decided yet what to do with you.'

I nodded in acceptance as she uttered the words. Bridget appeared with the whip and the Captain ordered me to remove my skimpy shorts and position myself against the rigging.

Thanking Bridget, she took aim with the Cat O' Nine Tails and brought it down sharply across my buttocks. A searing white hot pain slashed through me and I cried out in agony.

'You are... ', shouted the Captain as she brought the whip back down across my buttocks.

' ... a despicable, lying,... ', she yelled over my screams and brought the whip down for a third time.

' ... nasty little shit who I should have... ', the Captain barked as the whip hit my buttocks for a fourth time, harder than it had done before.

' ... chucked overboard when we found you'. She brought the whip down even harder for a fifth time and I felt my rear explode in more pain than I had ever experienced in my life.

The Captain passed the whip to another member of her crew and cackled as the whip was brought down on my rear end. I yelled in agony, as one of the tips curled round my perineum and flicked my balls.

'Go on Tabatha', I heard the Captain say and the whip was brought down again, nowhere near as hard as before, but I still cried out.

After which I lost track of who was whipping me, but certainly Commander Helen, Lieutenant Ruth, Suzanne and Africa all got their chance. As I was being struck I could hear laughter from everyone around me, and yet I wanted to stay on board the ship even more than ever. I had been struck 23 times and I could feel my lower back and buttocks bleeding. Tears dripped down my face in pain and humiliation.

'Tara... ', the Captain barked, ' ... give him one'

I screwed my eyes up in anticipation of the immense agony she would put me through, but the whip barely made contact with my skin and I breathed, and almost audible sigh of relief.

'Cabin Boy... ', the Captain said. ' ... turn and face me'

Wiping my eyes with my hands, I turned round with my cock hanging out. I noticed a small pool of blood had accumulated around my feet.

'Do you know why you were struck 24 times?', the Captain asked.

'Because 25 strikes will kill a man, Captain', I replied, recalling a passage at the front of the book Commander Helen had given me at the start of the voyage.

'Correct! Legend has it that 25 strikes will kill someone so you have been flayed to within an inch of your life. Let that be a lesson to you'

'Yes. Thank you Captain'

The Captain looked around the crew and dismissed then. I tried to look at my bleeding wounds but could see very little. Tabatha and Sandra came over to me.

'You need to get those nasties dressed', Sandra told me and with Tabatha on tow, took me to my room.

'Does it hurt', Tabatha asked rather pointlessly as Sandra, the designated ship nurse, was cleaning the wounds.