AD 2022: Welcome Back Cane & Birch!

He finally told the boys to stand up and put on their shorts. Spokesman Sutcliffe said: "Sir, would it be alright if we just put on our dressing gowns and slippers to return to our respective houses. You see sir, our arses - sorry sir, I mean our bottoms - are just so sore from the beating that we cannot bear even to pull on our shorts." The Headmaster smiled inwardly to himself. What could be greater praise than this? He had just thrashed the three lads for the first time in their lives and they now appreciated just how painful a beating could be. There was no doubt in any of their minds that the old boy still knew what he was doing.

And so a humbled triumvirate left carrying their shorts and wearing just their dressing gowns and slippers. Each lad was from a different house as the school rugger fifteen was drawn from the best players across all houses to compete in the name of tie school. So three different dormitories had the prurient pleasure of seeing the Headmaster's handiwork. In fact, the lads in the sixth form just showered together as each had his own study bedroom, all three lads slept that night on their stomachs with their backsides totally uncovered: even the weight of a bed sheet was just too much to bear.

The Headmaster closed and locked the door behind them and went immediately to his bathroom where he dropped his own trousers to allow the huge erection, which he had developed as he beat his way across the arses of the three lads, to spring forth. Already in the precum stage due to the sheer homoeroticism of beating the naked backsides of three muscular young studs, he grasped his cock and did what men always do in such circumstances: he jerked himself off; and within half a minute shot a huge quantity of sperm all over his bathroom hand basin.

He smiled to himself; even at sixty he was still quite fit and well and extremely virile. Not that virility really mattered all that much with the Headmaster other than as a matter of personal pride. Cedric Moulton-Danvers was a confirmed bachelor and, unlike many single men in the teaching profession at public schools, he was not gay. So he assuaged his own sexual desires from time to time by the simple act of masturbating, an act which gave him as it did to most men, the greatest of pleasure. That evening he went to bed a very happy and contented man.

The first week of term passed very quickly and it was already Saturday; the first Saturday in September. For the North of England, the weather was perfect; the mercury rose and it was to all intents and purposes a hot summer's day. The Headmaster had finished a leisurely breakfast and was standing holding a final cup of coffee in front of the window when he saw six young lads making for a small wooded area on the far side of the school property. His senses were immediately aroused as the wood concealed a small lake, which was strictly of limits to all boys. In the distant past boys had often sneaked away in their free time to swim and splash around in the water, but some fifty years ago, tragedy had struck and a boy, a first former, who had gone there by himself, was found drowned in the water. Since that time the wood and the lake had been strictly out of bounds for all boys. And it was precisely to this forbidden area that the six lads were clearly heading.

The Headmaster saw that there were four young lads from the new intake, first formers, whom he did not yet know by name; but the other two were from the second year and were well known to him: Simpson and Huntley, an inseparable and incorrigible pair of mischief makers: in a word; trouble looking for somewhere to take place! He had in the past year, when Simpson and Huntley were in the first form, often wished that he could take the cane to the pair of them, for they were never out of trouble. Well, not wishing to prejudge matters, perhaps today was the day when this troublesome pair would meet their Waterloo.

Forewarned is forearmed, so the Headmaster hastily finished his coffee, put on his jacket and selected a lissom junior cane, which he took with him; if he caught the boys red-handed, then there was no time like the present, in his view; the lads would get preliminary taste of the cane there and then. As he approached the wood he saw that the sign forbidding Rigby schoolboys to enter was clearly visible, so there could be no excuse for lack of knowledge. He picked his way through what had become an overgrown path through the wood to emerge on the banks of the lake, which was bathed in brilliant sunshine: the perfect day for a swim, but not here! As he had surmised, the six lads, totally naked were already in the water, splashing around, their clothes dumped higgledy-piggledy on the shore; not a towel in sight, he observed. He watched them enjoying themselves for a few minutes before making his presence known by a loud command: "Out of the water the six of you, on the double!" And with those few words the boys' idyllic moment was shattered to pieces.

The six lads emerged from the water and stood dripping in front of their Headmaster, shivering, not from the temperature, which was approaching tropical levels on that exceptional September day, but by the fact that they had been caught "in flagrante", breaking one of the most seriously enforced rules of the school. The cane in the Headmaster's hand told them the whole story; their moment of pleasure was to be turned into a moment of pain. None of the six had ever felt the cane before but they all knew from the first assembly that the dreaded instrument was to be re-introduced. Like the entire school, they all also knew that the three senior lads from the rugger fifteen, who had made rude comments at the assembly, had been beaten very soundly. Little wonder that a state of sever apprehension gripped all six young delinquents as they now contemplated their immediate future; things looked pretty bad for them, as they in fact were.

"You boys are aware, are you not, that in entering the wood you had already broken a rigid rule of the school; I presume that you can all read and as far as I can see the notice putting this area of limits to all boys, is quite clear; at least I was able to read it as I came here today so there is absolutely no excuse for your behaviour. But not only have you entered a forbidden area, but you have gone even further, in that you have gone bathing in the lake. There is a very good reason for the off-limits status of this area. If one of you boys were to fall into difficulty in the water, what might happen? We could have a tragedy on our hands. And as a matter of interest, just how many of you know how swim? Raise your hand if you do."

Of the six boys, only the two second-formers knew how to swim. All four new boys were still awaiting swimming lessons which were given in the school's own covered swimming pool.

"Boys, I want the four of you first-formers to turn away from me, put your hands on your heads and arrange yourself from left to right in alphabetical order. The two second- formers, whom I know very well, remain facing me, but also with their hands on their heads. Now the boy on the left turn around and look at me and tell me your name." The boy was called Robinson. "Well Robinson, now that we are acquainted, bend over and grasp your ankles with your hands and stick your bottom well out, for I am now going to give that part of your anatomy a rather arousing experience; in short boy, I am now going to give you six cuts with the cane. Remain perfectly still and keep hold of your ankles. If you move, I shall begin again and things will be worse."

Poor Robinson was shivering and shaking with fear as he waited in this uncomfortable position for the punishment to begin. The Headmaster, in time honoured fashion, swished the cane through the air and then brought it down accurately with a tremendous crack, directly in the middle of the boy's white buttocks. The lad let out a scream of pain to be followed successively by five other outbursts as the Headmaster administered the full six cuts to the upper part of the lad's arse. He worked upwards from the first stroke to the bottom of the boy's back, leaving him with six even spaced welts, which were already turning reddish blue.

By this time the lad was totally in tears, which was not surprising as the cuts had been laid on with maximum force. He was told to return to the line-up, still facing away from the Headmaster with his hands on his head but now displaying his beaten backside. The other three first-formers then took their punishment in the same way. The two second-formers had not seen their classmates being beaten, but had simply heard the crack of the cane as it landed on naked flesh and the accompanying cries of agony from the recipients.

By this time all four first-formers had been reduced to tears and were crying profusely. The two second-formers had become increasingly nervous and frightened as they witnessed their younger schoolmates being beaten. They realised that the Headmaster did not hold back with the cane and that this was a very painful event for everyone. The Headmaster looked at the two of them and said: "You first Simpson; step forward lad and adopt the position; you and your classmate, Huntley will receive nine cuts as you should have known better than to lead your younger classmates to this place."

So Simpson and Huntley took their increased punishment and were in turn reduced to tears by the severity of the beating.

"Now boys, get dressed and go back to the school where, for the rest of the day you will remain in the junior common room. Now, this evening at eight thirty after supper, I wish to see the six of you in my study, wearing the appropriate attire for such meetings."

Simpson said by way of a protest: "But sir, please sir, you are not going to beat us again this evening; are you sir? You have just beaten us for what we did and we don't deserve to be beaten a second time for the same offence sir; really we don't sir."

"Simpson, it is I and I alone who decide what you do or do not deserve; but for the record, no, I am not going to beat you again this evening for the same offence, I am simply going to complete the beating which I have just given you, which is only half the standard punishment for the offence you have committed. So you first-formers will get another six cuts and you, Simpson and Huntley, another nine for leading your classmate astray. I think can promise you that you will each go to bed this evening with what is vulgarly referred to by the boys as a "well beaten arse". And believe me boys; I am a past master at creating "well beaten arses": so you need not fear that you will in any way be robbed of this truly momentous experience. You all have something very special to look forward to this evening. Now get dressed and get back to the school as I have just told you."

The Headmaster did not return directly to the school but went to the head-gardener's cottage where he found the gardener, Mr. Patterson, at home. Mr Patterson was the same age as the Headmaster and had spent his entire life at the school; as such he was its oldest employee. His father had been head gardener before him and he had been born in the very cottage where he was now living. He had joined the staff as a young apprentice gardener, aged fifteen, on the death of his father had taken his place; so Mr. Patterson had been associated with the school for sixty odd years.

"Headmaster, what a surprise to see you here on a Saturday morning sir; what brings you my way sir? Or shall I guess the purpose of your visit sir?"

The Headmaster was taken somewhat by surprise by this question as he had only just a few minutes earlier decided to pay this impromptu call on his head gardener. So smilingly, he said: "Well, Patterson, if you would like to play at being a clairvoyant, please go ahead, but I doubt that you will guess why I have called on you this morning."

"Well sir, I guess that you have come here to ask me to make you a new birch, sir. Am I right or wrong sir?"

The Headmaster was flabbergasted by the exactitude of Patterson's comment. "Good lord Patterson, you really are quite a psychic, as that is precisely the reason I am here right now. But how on earth did you make such a correct guess?"

"Well sir, it's pretty obvious if you think about it. You see I read the newspapers and listen to the TV news every day and a few days ago I saw that the cane and the birch were to be reintroduced into the UK; and not before time I say. And so, as my father before me and I myself till the ban of all forms of beating some twenty years ago, had always made the birches which you yourself then used, it seemed pretty obvious to me, seeing what a reputation the school had in general and you yourself, sir, in particular, for strict discipline, that the birch would be wanted again. So you see sir, it was not all that difficult, even or a simple soul such as me to add two to two and get four. And so, sir, I was expecting to see you sometime in the next few days, if not this very morning, which was a surprise: a very pleasant surprise sir. So you see sir, it's not exactly rocket science as the young folks would say today."

"Well Patterson you are of course quite right in your suppositions, and the reason that I am here on a Saturday morning of all days, without any warning, is that I just wondered if you might possibly have the time to put together one of your admirable confections today. You see a group of six boys have seriously disobeyed a very strict rule, just this morning, and I have decided in my own mind that the senior boys among them deserve, and indeed might benefit from, a taste of the birch. So you see my dilemma: canes I have in plenty, but a birch needs to be fresh, which is why I need your assistance."

Mr. Patterson laughed: "Headmaster, I saw all this coming as soon as I read the news. I was certain, knowing what a strict disciplinarian you yourself were, I felt sure that you would want to reintroduce beating into the school. Please take a seat a moment sir, and I will go and fetch something for you." Patterson disappeared and went to his workshop to emerge a few moments later with a ready-made birch in his hand.

"There you are sir; I was sure you would be wanting one, so I took it upon myself to make up a new one just to be prepared. So there you are sir; you have your birch for this evening. And if I might just say sir, this birch is made in exactly the same way as the senior birches have been made for over a hundred years in this school sir. You may remember the story that before our times, in the early 1900s, the then head gardener made a birch out of really springy young maple shoots, which were much superior to any other kind of twigs used hitherto. Well sir, I have made this of new shoots from a pollarded maple and I think you will see sir, that this instrument in experienced hands such as yours sir, will be capable of taking any boy to heaven and back; or perhaps I should say to the other place and back, sir." he concluded laughing.

The Headmaster was impressed by the foresight of the gardener and thanked him profusely for his splendid handiwork: "Well thank you very much indeed, Patterson, for this superb looking instrument, which is exactly what I need for this evening's proceedings. Can I assume that as of now, you will readopt the old custom of renewing the supply of birches in the punishment room every two weeks or so to ensure that I always have an adequate supply of this indispensable tool available?"

"You can indeed sir; nothing will give me greater pleasure than to ensure the continuity of supply. You know sir I am myself a great believer in the old methods and it is my view that a well beaten backside does a mischievous boy a great deal of good; so I am as delighted as you sir, that the law has now allowed the reintroduction of the cane and the birch. Perhaps we shall see a decline in the number of delinquencies now that a lad knows he'll get a sore arse if he oversteps the bounds."

The Headmaster carried the birch back to his study under his arm. It goes without saying that he was seen by several boys on his way back from the gardener's cottage. And so the news flashed around the entire school that not only the cane but that the birch also was back. By lunchtime there wasn't a boy in the school who was unaware of the new regime. The question was, who was to be the first to experience the joy of a birching. It was the most frighteningly exciting news and stories abounded as to the pain that this dreaded instrument of punishment could inflict. The tension was palpable and by supper time the whole school was in the grip of excitement. Word had got around that six boys were to be beaten that evening and their classmates were agog at the thought of such a bloodbath so early in term. The Headmaster himself could not have orchestrated the reintroduction of the rod had he announced it publicly in assembly.

At eight-thirty promptly, the six young delinquents, correctly attired for what was about to happen to them, duly presented themselves at the Headmaster's study. To say that they were in an extreme state of nervous anxiety would be an understatement; they were all absolutely terrified of yet another encounter with the cane, as their arses were still very painful from their "al fresco" thrashing earlier in the day. But as the Headmaster had told them, that has been just half the standard penalty for their "crime" and now they were to receive the balance.

"Well boys, now that you are all here, drop your shorts and step out of them completely as we don't want to be distracted by shorts around our ankles, do we? Now stand in a line against the wall, facing me, with your hands on your heads and line up in the same order as this morning. I have decided in view of the seriousness of your infraction, that you shall all witness each other being beaten. That way you can recount to your classmates exactly how things are now done under the new regime, where the cane will again reign supreme. So, Robinson and you other three first formers, please step into the centre of the room. Robinson you will again head the line-up head and you others stand in line directly behind him, but leave lots of space. Now boys, bend over and put your hands on the floor in front of you and stick your bottoms high up into the air so that I can see exactly what I am doing."

"Let me now explain to you what is going to happen. You are each going to receive six more cuts of the cane, but I am going to beat the four of you in series. So, Robinson I shall give you your first cut and then wait five seconds before moving on to your classmate directly behind to give him his first stroke. and so I shall continue to the end of the line. So boys, you will appreciate that by the time I get back to Robison, he will have had some fifteen or so seconds to enjoy the full effect of the first stroke he has received. And then I shall continue like that until each of you as had the additional six cuts, bringing up the total for the offence you committed to twelve strokes in all. As you can see, you will all have plenty of time to feel the pain of each stroke as it is delivered; and let us not delude ourselves boys; the whole purpose of this beating is to leave you all with very, very painful bottoms which you can take to bed with you this evening and reflect your stupidity in breaking such a fundamental rule."

The Headmaster surveyed the four sets of young buttocks presented to him for further "correction" and noted with some satisfaction that his morning's efforts had left well defined stripes one each boy's arse, all of which were clearly still very painful and were ripening up into a very satisfying shade of bluish red. He now did as he had outlined and gave the four lads an additional six cuts each, but this time descending from the centre to the top of the legs and he used a slightly heavier cane to make sure that the punishment was well felt.