Chapter 6
Before finally shaping the yacht's course for home Mr. Howard steered back into the Mediterranean and on towards Batoum as he had learnt at the Azzores that the kurds were desolating Armenia once again and bringing their captives down to Batoum to sell to the Pachas there ; and Mr. Howard had a mind to see what he could pick up there.
On his arrival at Batoum with his usual luck he lighted on a far more interesting adventure than he anticipated.
The kurds, he learnt from his dragoman, had had the audacity to attack an American mission and had killed the clergy in it and had carried off the chief missionary's young daughter and brought her to Batoum where she had apparently disappeared. The Turkish authorities believed that no one had survived but as a fact the dragoman had discovered that the girl had on the very morning of the yacht's arrival been secretly sold to the Governor of the town and conveyed to his harem.
Everything can be done in the Sultans dominions with cash, and Mr. Howard by means of careful bribes, got himself admitted into a hidden gallery of the harem where he hoped to be a witness of the young lady's forcible deflowering by the Governor who was a man known for his ungovernable passions.
The old woman who had charge of this harem took Mr. Howard princely payment and brought him where he could see the girl awaiting her fall. On looking down through a grating he could see stately Miss Penelope Grant fastened with straps to one of the pillars of the hall. She wore a smart blue serge sailor suit tight fitting and saucy looking, that showed off the contours of her rounded beautiful figure to perfection. She was evidently in a great fright, and her color came and went as she watched the door anticipating the entrance of her terrifying Lord and master. Reclining about on divans and cushions were the other ladies of the harem, all of them arranged in nothing but the one costly silk garment that displayed rather than concealed every line of their shapely limbs and bodies, and which to a voluptuary such as Mr. Howard rendered them more seductive to look at than if they had been absolutely naked. They were all chattering away and apparently criticizing the new arrival with some fiercely when the door suddenly was flung open and the Governor entered.
He was a large swarthy man powerfully built with the fixed inscrutable face of his race. No sooner did Mr. Howard look at him and Miss Grant together than he felt, instead of enjoying the spectacle of her ravishment by him, he would do anything to prevent it and to secure such a treat for himself.
However he remained motionless watching. Going up to the girl the Governor addressed her in fairly good french, and asked her whether she was not glad to be his mistress rather than have left her bones in the mission house. The girl replied in the same language that she was glad she had not been killed but that she would never be to him in the shameful relationship he suggested.
The Governor looked at her quietly and said. "Do you know what will happen to you il you fail to please me in every way I demand of you?"
"I suppose you will get rid of me" she said in a low voice.
He smiled a slow evil smile and said "I will show you what will happen to you".
Turning to the girls who at his entrance maintained a respectful silence, he gave some short quick orders in Arabic. "Instantly half a dozen of the girls seized one of the most beautiful of their companions and brought her the carpet face downwards, in front of Miss Grant, and stretched her upon
Others of the girls came and pulled the single
m silk garment up over her legs bottom and back leaving the dazzling white flesh stark naked from the neck down. Three girls then grasped each wrist and ankle firmly and awaited further commands.
"This is what will be done to you Mademoiselle and I beg you to watch carefully all that I do and imagine it done to yourself, it will I hope lead you to chose an obedient attitude.
The Turk now placed one foot on the prostrate girl's naked back and drew from under his cloak a dog whip with a long lash.
He looked at the splendid bottom with settled cruelty and with deliberation lifted the whip above his head and swept it across the lovely posteriors.
A piercing cry came from the unhappy slave who struggled with all her might to get away but of course quite in vain.
Miss Grant turned deadly white as she watched the extraordinary scene, she gazed at the naked girl and the red mark over her white bottom which instantly appeared after the frightful cut and her breathing indicated intense excitement.
"How would you like to be whipped like that", said the Turk imperturbably. But Miss Grant's voice failed her and she could make no reply.
A fresh command in Arabic was followed by the girls who held her ankles drawing them steadily and forcibly apart as wide as they would go you shall have some cuts like this one if you don't humble yourself" said the Turk and he brought the knotted lash of the whip with a whistling slash right up between the wide straddled thighs of the helpless girl.
The horrible thud of the whip as it licked into the poor slave's most tender spot was followed by fresh screams and impotent writhing and Miss Grant's eyes seemed to be fascinated by the extraordinary spectacle. She trembled all over and licked her lips but said nothing. Mr. Howard found his own lascivious sensations rising to the highest pitch and he recognized in the Turk a perfect Master of the art of chastisement. "You shall have thirty cuts like that one and administered in the same way on the same spot if you do not please me" the Turk continued. The slave girl howled and sobbed and the Turk gazing at her white form and removing his foot from her back gave some further orders, at which three or four more girls joined those already holding the victim, and four of five seized each of the girl's legs between the foot and the knee and lifted her bodily up till only her elbows remained on the ground, having got her well up they gradually parted her inverted thighs till they were very much distended.
The Turk standing at her head laid the lash of the whip into the exposed region, Miss Grant watched the proceeding with startled eyes her bosom heaved with gasps of excitement mingled with her feelings of terror at such things ever being done to herself as she was witnessing, there was rising unbidden in her nature a subtle sympathy with the lascivious sensations she was certain were dominating the Turk, though she was very sorry for the poor slave girl her chastisement certainly was very exciting to watch! And when the terrible whip was raised and brought with a fearful drawing slash right into the victims most secret parts she forgot to be sorry for her in the overwhelming sensations the sight and sound produced in herself. She listened to the screams of the girl and watched the frantic efforts she made quite ineffectively to kick herself free with glistening eyes.
When you have had two dozen cuts like that "said the Turk to her" you shall be whipped over your breasts as you will now see this pretty piece of property and he gave orders to the girls, who put their victim down turned her over on her back and pulled her clothes well up under her chin a hard boister was placed under her shoulders, her arms, and legs pulled out to their utmost stretch, and her head forced back by one the girls pulling with both hands under her chin.
The large and beautiful breasts were thus thrust violently and firmly out and the Turk laid the lash of the terrible whip across the dazzling white heaps of flesh, Miss Grant said nothing but her excitement was manifest, it was clear that she would not have stopped the whipping if she could and indeed all the girls seemed to be sensually influenced by the strange scene.
No one paid any attention to the cries for mercy of the helpless naked beauty held down by overwhelming force indeed by dragging at her pinching her tender flesh they seemed to like to add to her sufferings and the girl who held her chin effectually prevented her opening her mouth so that when once stretched out immovably the slave girl could only give effect to her feelings by smothered groans.
The Turk drew the lash slowly across the snowy heaps of the girl's distended bosom two or three times so that she might feel it and fully realize her abject helplessness under his power.
Miss Grant watched the wicked lash moving over the tightened flesh with sparkling eyes, her own bosom heaved and fell and she again licked her lips.
At last the Turk raised his hand, all the girls gripped the prostate victim and pulled her even tighter to meet the stroke as it descended with a shrill whistle and cut with a loud crack right across the lovely expanse just above the little pink centers.
The girl could only grind her teeth in her agony and emit sounds through her nose, a bright scarlet line came instantly upon the ivory flesh, and a little spot of blood on her side just beyond the breast where the knotted end of the lash had bit into the skin. The muscles of her legs and arms could be seen moving with her hopeless efforts to move which were met with overwhelming resistance by the eager girls who now seemed to have lost all sense of pity in the sensuality of the scene.
The Turk took a bunch of holly on the end of a switch and addressing Miss Grant said.
"And if you venture to struggle against your captors or your bonds like this naught slave you shall have a taste of this punishment" and he dashed the holly between the girls naked thighs, once, twice, thrice ordering the girls to widen her legs, between each application of the terrible instrument. The last of which penetrated well into her and must have caused excruciating pain.
By this time Miss Grant was becoming dazed with intensity of her sensations, and was emitting little gasps and sighs of voluptuousness which she was quite unable to control. The Turk resumed the dog whip and again drew it gently across the victims distended elastic breasts, the girl's groans were now intense and continuous, but no one heeded them, presently the whip was again raised and brought with all the strength of the powerful Turk's arm right across both breasts this time over their lower surfaces again he raised it and with all his force swept it down across the exact centers of both bosoms.
"Perhaps Mademoiselle" remarked the imperturbable Turk "now you have witnessed how I shall treat you if you refuse voluntarily to submit yourself to me as one of my harem, that it would be as well also to show you what submission to me really will mean, for I do not imagine that in the sacred mission house from which you have been so opportunely removed you ever had an opportunity of witnessing the putting of your inferior sex to its only serviceable use.
With that he turned to the slave girls and gave some further orders as a result of which the already agonized girl was prepared in the following way. The hard bolster was shifted down from under her shoulders to under her bottom, her ankles and wrists were fastened firmly to four rings let into the polished floor beyond the carpet on which she lay. Her knees were additionally stretched wider apart with straps to other rings in the walls each side of the hall. When all the cords and straps were pulled tight so that the girl lay extended on her back with arms and tights at the fullest and widest possible stretch. The Turk took the holly switch and pricked her naked body and limbs here and there with it to see whether any struggling could alter her abandoned posture and when quite satisfied he threw it away and all the girls retired from the hall leaving the three alone there. Miss Grant's hands were fastened behind her back to the pillar but she was otherwise free and from certain involuntary movements of her legs and body Mr. Howard thought he could detect signs of sensual feelings in the girl as the Turk stooped down and thrust his fingers rudely into the helpless slave whose widely held thighs seemed to invite such liberties.
The prostate girl now only sobbed softly and lay unresisting with her loins held well up by the bolster under her bottom. The Turk now got between the naked legs and lay out upon the protruding loins, he coolly grasped her large naked breasts in his hands while he pushed firmly into her below, soon his own thighs were undulating steadily and forcibly as he dug firmly well into the lovely slave. Miss Grant watched with bright eyes every movement of the Turk as he ravished the girl fastened so lubriciously for his purpose. Her own thighs unconsciously undulated in time with his thrusts as she pictured in her imagination what her own sensations would be if she were bound tight on her back with arms and legs dragged wide apart, while a man did to her what the Turk was doing to his slave. No horror could exceed that for he was almost as black as a negro, and the more dreadful it seemed for such a thing to be done to her the more she found she enjoyed in some strange way witnessing it being done to another.
She was discovering the subtle but fundamental difference between seeing another whipped cruelly and ravished by a black man and being so ravished oneself.
The Turk at last reached his destination, and rising from his delicious pastime told Miss Grant he would return in an hour and receive her decision.
The girls carried away their poor companion Miss Grant was left alone tied to the pillar.
With their departure Miss Grant had time to lose all sensations but one of horrible fear of being subjected to what she had witnessed.
Mr. Howard acted with his usual decision, he got the duenna to take him immediately down to the floor of the Hall, and on his appearance Miss Grant gave a low cry of astonishment. "Have you come to save me" she gasped. "On certain terms, yes" he replied. "Terms." She answered "what do you mean, Sir?"
"If you will sign this little agreement I have just drawn up I will take a great risk and endeavor to smuggle you away on my yacht which is lying in the harbor, shall I read it?" and he produced a sheet of paper and read as follows.
"In consideration of Mr. Howard's assisting me to escape from the harem of the Governor of Batoum, I agree when rescued to submit to any treatment he may subject me to physically as well as morally, for a period of five years, from the date of my escape, I undertake to make no complaint of his treatment of me to any living person ever at any time, and to refuse even to speak of it at any time to any living person, and Mr. Howard on his part agrees to inflict no permanent injury upon me during those five years."
"What do you mean to do to me?" whispered Miss Grant in an over struck voice-
"Whatever pleases me" he replied with perfect candor," but you need not enter into the agreement unless you like, and you can remain where you are in the kind hands of the Governor of Batoum you are already believed in Europe to be dead, and whether you stay or come with me you will not reappear for some time in polite Society. Come decide! Perhaps you have taken a imagine to the Turk."
"Oy my God! was ever poor girl so situated, will you not have pity on me, and rescue me without these terrible conditions?"
"No Miss Grant I will not: remember I run great risk and must spend great sums of money to effect your removal to my yacht, and as I do not trust your gratitude I mean to secure myself adequate reward in advance."
The duenna here showed signs of anxiety, and in a paroxysm of fright the girl said she would sign the agreement. Mr. Howard therefore released her from her pillar and with the document duly signed quickly arranged the transference of the girl to the yacht dressed in an old gaberdine of the duenna's with her face entirely veiled. When on board Mr. Howard ordered, Miss Burke to remain in her cabin for the evening, as he intended Miss Grant to believe that there was no other woman in the yacht but herself.
The yacht immediately weighed anchor and by dinner time was many miles on her way to the Golden Horn.
Mr. Howard look forward with keen pleasure to the sensual feast he had secured for himself, for Miss Grant being tall and splendidly developed promised to be a most exciting subject for subjection, humiliations, and chastisements. She appeared at dinner in a low cut silk dress that displayed more than it concealed of her rounded attractions, she had only put it on at all because Mr. Howard had said to her in authoritative tones, "you will dress for dinner please in the dress you will find laid out in your state room!" And she had been afraid to disobey. When they were left alone Mr. Howard looked her over with greedy eyes and said "Miss Grant your beautiful neck and shoulders are amply displayed to-night and I am glad that I and not that filthy Turk has got possession of so much tempting white flesh, it also affords me the utmost delight to anticipate all the liberties I am going to take with your lovely person to-night and any other night when I choose for the next five years; please come round here and kneel on this cushion by my side I want to see all that expanse of uncovered skin quite close. The girl panted and gripped her handkerchief in her hand in blank terror but did not move."
"Oh please don't do dreadful things to me to-night, not to-night."
"Miss Grant come here instantly; if you do not I will show you how I treat disobedience forthwith."
Pale as death the girl rose and came to his side trembling with fright. "Kneel down" he commanded sternly and she knelt on the cushion. "Put your hands behind your back." She obeyed, her very low dress showed her large firm breasts, heaving quickly up and down with her pants of terror.
Mr. Howard shifted his chair and got her body between his knees one knee pressed her hands against her back the other pressed her waist in front.
Taking her chin rudely in one hand he thrust the girl's head back bending her backwards forcibly from the waist, with the other hand he felt the white flesh of her neck enjoying its cool smoothness then he deliberately pushed the small sleeve straps down off her shoulders to her elbows, but before he had uncovered the bosoms more than this slipping of the shoulder straps revealed, she got her hands round and was holding the slight covering up.
Mr. Howard was apparently prepared for this for he produced two wrist straps from his pocket and twisting her arms with a powerful grasp soon had the hands fastened together behind. Once more holding back the girls chin with one hand and with the other on the upper half of her voluptuous right breast he remarked. "To explore and stroke the front of a loving girl who invites such dalliance is a pleasure, but it is not so delicious as to uncover and rudely treat the breasts of an unwilling victim who helpless and in ones power is obliged to submit." With a jerk up of her chin and a rough tug down of the dress Mr. Howard now laid bare the two heaving panting bosoms between his knees. He rudely pushed them up and down, jerked them this way and that admiring their firm elasticity. With her hands tied she could not get away or prevent what he was doing. She was already frightened out of her wits and began to cry hysterically.
"You have the largest and finest bosoms I have ever felt", said he still grasping them indecently this way and that, and if your bottom corresponds I shall indeed have a treat in store for me bye and bye."
Presently he took little rosy centre of her right bosom in his finger and thumb and began to pinch it gently at first then gradually harder "How wasted" said he "were such ripe beauties as yours in a missionary's establishment", and he gave her a cruel pinch.
The tortured and terrified girl at this managed to writhe away and get to her feet after which she cowered away sobbing and struggling to free her bound hands.
Mr. Howard went over to her, seized her tied and fastened them a hook in the wall, but as she still stooped forward striving to hide her naked breasts he put a broad band round her little neck and fastened her head up to another hook so that she was forced to a bolt upright position.
"Perhaps you are not aware" said he "that I witnessed the whipping of the slave girl as well as you at Batoum and I have not forgotten though you may have, that you certainly enjoyed the spectacle of that girl's sufferings, you did not know that I was watching you or you would no doubt have not so clearly displayed your naughty pleasure. I am now beginning to experience the pleasant though no doubt reprehensible sensations you and the Turk indulged in during that girl's chastisement. I am now going to indulge those feelings to the full, and shall begin by undressing you and uncovering your beauties without haste and by degrees."
The helpless girl was now quivering all over and crying quite hysterically, she kept her eyes shut so as not to see her own shame as Mr, Howard untied her skirts and drew them down to her feet and then cut the laces and pulled off the small stays.
In her chemise, drawers, white silk stockings and shoes, the pretty girl stood fastened up the picture of tempting womanhood.
Her arms fastened downwards behind her back the sleeves of the chemise slipped down below her elbows and the loose garment fell down in front to her waist leaving her glorious front stark naked in all its voluptuous contour.
Mr. Howard unbuttoned the shoulder straps and let the chemise fall entirely to the ground with the skirts, only the drawers remained, they were of white silk and filled her full thighs almost tight and were buttoned up the outsides of the legs with no other openings.
Mr. Howard with one hand stroking her naked breasts proceeded with the other to feel the firm flesh of the girl's thighs all round.
At this last outrage on her modesty the sobbing girl screwed her legs tightly over each other to prevent his hand getting between them to feel their inside surfaces.
"Open your legs" said he but she did not obey, Mr. Howard without undue haste proceeded to twist two rings attached to screws into the floor, about a yard each side of the girl's feet, and to these rings he fastened her ankles with straps tightening them up alternately and irresistibly till her feet were quite four feet apart.
This tightened the band round her neck till she was stretched tight from chin to heel.
Her appearance was now enough to rouse the sensuality of St. Anthony, every inch of her lovely plump body and legs were strained in the most exposed attitude naked but for the tight drawer.
Mr. Howard came to her side and with one hand began to feel and squeeze the large expanse of her plump bottom while with the other he wandered all over her legs in front and began administering little wicked pinches to the softest parts of her flesh between the widely straddled limbs high up. Then changing his treatment he pressed his hand in front firmly up between the open legs while he began to prick her soft bottom making her writhe forward.
The girl still wept hysterically and kept crying "Oh! stop! stop! don't do that, oh! will no one help me or rescue me! Oh! what shameful degradation, oh! spare me, spare me!".
But Mr. Howard enjoying her awful sense of shame continued his rude and outrageous pinchings of her tenderest and most private spots.
"I remember" said he taking up a lady's riding whip and looking with sparkling eyes at the tempting plump thighs" that you took a great interest in the cuts that poor girl got here "and he touched her with the whip between her legs" oh! for God's sake don't do it! don't do it!! screamed the now frantically terrified victim.
"Seeing and feeling are no doubt no different things" he replied patting her with the whip gently then a little harder then rather harder still.
"Does that hurt very much?" with a harder pat. "Oh yes! oh yes!! oh no harder for God's sake! I can never endure it! I shall die." A harder cut followed at which she howled again and her whole frame jumped.
"That's not a hard cut" said he "you shall now have a real cut on your leg" and he delivered a really severe stripe over the front and inside of her left thigh half way down." I can't see the effect there he said "I will try on a naked part" and he gave her a smart flick over the lower half of her left bosom.
The wildest shrieks now filled the cabin as Mr. Howard cut her again and again over the thighs and bosoms alternately.
Suddenly he put down the whip for a moment and began unfastening the drawers "you shall have something to scream about now" said he as the girl's thighs flashed out suddenly naked under his hands.
Seizing the terrible whip and utterly deaf to her mad yells he aimed cut after cut up into the widely exposed gap between her lovely legs.
Every muscle of her splendid body grew rigid with the agony of the frightful whipping.
Relentlessly Mr. Howard delivered slash after slash into her quivering now bleeding tenderest place. He seemed to forget everything but his furious lust, and at last with a dash at her he seized her round her loins and began to ravish the helpless frantic screaming girl who fixed as she was could offer no possible resistance. When once in possession of her he plunged wildly up into her while his unsatiated sensuality was provoked by smacking her breasts biting her ears, boxing her ears and tormenting her in every possible way till his sensations were utterly satisfied.
No sooner had Mr. Howard satisfied his passions to the full than he proceeded to devise means of rousing them again at once; he unfastened the girls neck and feet and with her hands still fastened behind her he brought her to the end of a stout table and made her lay her body down upon it; next he untied her hands, and strapped each wrist at wide stretch above her head to the top corner legs of the table upon which he had previously spread a black railway rug, her bottom he arranged to come just to the edge of the table and then with cords to rings in the ceiling he fastened up her ankles drawing up each foot so that her legs were held wide apart and her knees a little bit higher from the floor than her bottom.
In this attitude all the naked back and bottom and thighs to the knees were spread out before him at the convenient height of the table, and from a little below her waist she was clear of the table, the weight of her thighs being upon the cords that held her ankles up in the air: this left her thighs open to chastisement in front as well as behind and all round, the seat of pleasure was held open to attack from above or below.
Her white flesh was practically untouched from the nape of her neck to her garters, and her beautiful figure afforded Mr. Howard the greatest delight as he once more took up the little whip.
The girl lay silent but panting with the tremendous effect of her recent treatment. Mr. Howard laid the whip over her loins just where two exquisite dimples showed above the large heaps of i her voluptuous posteriors and said "now Miss Grant I am going to administer a really severe whipping and I intend to excite myself by being deliberately cruel to you now, and by inflicting cuts that will be absolutely intolerable." And as the girl began to cry out. "Oh for God's sake spare me now and let me off any more till to-morrow", he raised the wicked whip and cracked it fiercely down over the lily skin. The girl gave a jump and a yell and began tugging at her bonds and writhing about trying to kick her legs about.
"Keep your legs still" said he striking quickly with the whip first downwards and then from below upwards over the wriggling legs. The girl made frantic efforts to turn this way and that but she could do little to alter her position and being naked no attitude could shield her from the sweep of the whip as Mr. Howard warming to his work slashed away over the bounding bottom and twisting thighs alternately.
The girl's strength and endurance seemed astonishing after all she had been through and her delirious screams and wild struggles and contortions excited Mr Howard so much that he whipped harder and harder cutting the white flesh into scarlet wails in all directions.
When all her large bottom was a mass of lines and her plump thighs striped a round with the brilliant mark of the elastic lash, Mr. Howard deaf to her heart breaking sobs and cries whisked the tip of the whip with fearful swiftness into the gap between her thighs alternately from above and below, again and again. The girl raised her bottom somehow up and down in her wild paroxysm dashing it down and up as each frightful cut struck her full on the selected spot, at last Mr. Howard once more got between her legs and roughly ravished the now bleeding panting victim, whipping her back and sides with undiminished cruelty in order to impart provocative jerks and bounds to her body until he was for a second time satiated, and at last fairly satisfied and exhausted.
The next morning Mr. Howard allowed the two girls to meet in his presence and after breakfast he took them to his private cabin and told them that they were always at liberty to be together as long as he was present, but that if ever they spoke to each other or were even discovered in each others company behind his back they would both be very severely punished.
This command was sufficient to afford him plenty of opportunities of chastising the young ladies during the voyage home, and Mr. Howard exhausted his ingenuity in inventing attitudes and contortions in which to fix the beautiful girls while they were whipped.
On reaching England he took them both to Bath and handed them over to Maud and Alice. As they were both well educated they were each assigned a class in the school to teach and very soon learnt that if they wanted to preserve their own bodies from exposure and from the whip the best way to do it was to set down continually plenty of black marks against the most lady-like and modest and attractive girls in their classes ensuring their appearance in the gymnasium for punishment by Mr. Howard. From long experience Mr. Howard had learnt that if girls are subjected to the whip for mere purposes of voluptuousness, through they may never cease dreading it, they quickly come to take pleasure in inflicting it upon others and in witnessing their humiliation and punishment.
He also learnt that a secret sense of the sensuality of the whole thing is always sufficient to secure their absolute silence among the general world.
With great cleverness he always allowed the grown up ladies in his power to whip the girls themselves now and then until they clearly betrayed the sensual pleasure they derived from administering the chastisement, a pleasure they might never have experienced had they not first been used themselves to rouse his passions; but when once they had allowed him to witness and observe the delight they felt in inflicting punishment to girls stripped and fastened tight before them, he took care to explain to them that by their own open sensuality they deprived themselves of any defense against their being similarly flogged themselves by him.
The requirements of the master were studied by the four elder young ladies in every conceivable manner; no refinement of lovely underclothing was too lubricious for the pretty pupils no arrangement too elaborate for their gradual denudation before him, or for their preparations as to attitudes and contortions of body and limbs, and while he chastised them now elegantly, now with whistling stripes over the rebounding flesh every artifice was resorted to, to stimulate his voluptuous pleasure to the highest pitch and prolong it to the must duration. Surely never before was refined and artistic sensuality carried to so consummate a pitch.