Chapter 5

As the ship crosses the line and they head into the tropics, Sophia begins to adopt the simple dress of a young lad to avoid the hot confinement of the multi-layered female attire that is the norm for that time. The sight of Sophia's nicely rounded flanks walking and exercising on the deck keeps a number of the men in a state of high readiness for female companionship. She is accosted below deck on a night when the sails are becalmed and the Captain is under the weather with some sort of bug from rancid bacon thought safe enough to adorn the Captain's table. Sophia never ate bacon or sausage so she was not affected at all. She kept her mouth silent when the two men used her body as a soft pillow for their loins leaving sticky white stains on her trousers and her blouse. They never said a word to her and she knew her shame had to be kept secret so not to cause embarrassment for her father.

Sophia was well accustomed to the rolling and dipping of the ship in rough weather now and she was often seen by the other officers and the crew walking the decks for exercise. Following her father's suggestion, she adopted the garb of a young lad to make her exercise more comfortable and unrestricted by the myriad of layered petticoats deemed proper for females of any age or persuasion.

One unfortunate side effect of this change in dress was the fact that her flanks were quite exposed to the depraved glances of the female-deprived males shut up in close quarters for a lengthy voyage. The thin cloth of her trousers did little to hide the sensual curve of her buttocks and even her swelling breasts were allowed to swing suggestively with the rolling motion of the ship cutting through the waves.

Unbeknownst to Sophia or her father was the fact that speculation as to the design of her female parts was a subject most interesting to the score of horny sailors below decks in increasingly frustrating debate. Sophia was aware that the men would ogle her movements and in all honesty she knew it tended to excite her to be viewed as an object of desire by so many grown men at the same time. Sometimes she even allowed her garb to be slightly wetted so that it would be sheerer to their view and give them a better sense of her female goodies. She was much agitated with passion in her thought and in that special place between her legs by their devout attentions. She would find the need to repair to the solitude of her cabin bunk to relieve the pressure of her demanding female flesh. Her thoughts of her beloved Jeffrey were paramount in her mind at such delicate moments.

Shortly after they had passed the equator, Sophie's father began to suffer some distressing intestinal difficulties that grew progressively worse. She did all she could to tend to his needs but he seemed to be sinking into a morass of confused comprehension about his surroundings and even her identity. It was most concerning to her and she was also quite weakened by the lack of sleep in caring for her sire.

She was heading back to the galley with the empty pot of soup that her father had finally consumed with a hesitant hand and total disinterest. The passageway was dark which was quite normal but she was suddenly aware that there were two seamen blocking her passageway in both directions. At first, she was amused because she was well familiar with all of the faces of the sailors after a few months at sea. She thought they were funning her and she was a bit pleased with the diversion from the grim reality of caring for a sick parent on a voyage that seemed to be of boring proportions.

She didn't know the name of the short man who sported a mustache tinted a shocking shade of ginger but the large fellow was known to all as Lucas and he was without a doubt the most muscular and powerful of the crew.

"Let me by, you lout!"

The two men chuckled as if possessed by an untold joke. Sophia suddenly realized they were in a serious vein and not playing the fool with her. Her pulse quickened and her body was flooded with a burst of adrenalin that suggested to her the option of running would be the best course of action.

Unfortunately, that option was fairly well out of the question because the passageway was far too narrow, she was outnumbered two to one and she could easily see she was easy prey for whatever the two fellows had in store for her.

Both Lucas and the other sailor spoke not a word to her but she was smart enough to comprehend their intent was to satisfy their need for female flesh by exploring her trapped body with their exploring hands. She was certain it would not be anything further than that because the law of the high seas was very clear when it came to such matters. Seeing that her situation was hopeless, Sophia resigned herself to the indignity and was thankful that it was only two fellows who would be enjoying the touch of her body in carnal delight.