HMS Bordello Part 2
anonymous
July 28 2010, 03:24:22 UTC
Earlier he had tried flogging as way to bring the men's attention back to their duty; but that remedy rebounded on him in a most disgusting way. The bosun's mate, exhausted and happy from the recent labors of his watch below, had no strength and less will to swing the cat. The "victim" received no more than a slight reddening of the skin from the dozen strokes, but the girls - horrified by the first flogging they'd ever witnessed - cried piteously over him, offering with their own hands to rub a soothing balm into his skin. The rest of the defaulters jostled each other to be the next "punished", and soon men who weren't even on the defaulters' list joined in the fray. If the captain hadn't called a halt to further flogging, there would have been a riot. Instead he stopped all grog, all spirits of any kind for the whole ship. At that there was silence, and widening of the eyes, and grimly Jack smiled, thinking he'd made his point. He was soon disabused. "Just as well grog's been stopped," he overheard Plaice tell Bonden. "Spirits'll keep a man from rising to the occasion, as you might say." Now Jack was faced with the command of a ship that might very well be the first in Royal Navy history to founder in a mild one-foot swell in a steady topsail breeze. Girls were all very well, he thought; God knew he loved a wench himself, had one in his cot himself last night, no reason not to, off-duty and willing girl. But the ship came first! How anyone could hang on the lips of some possibly pretty but certainly ignorant girl instead of sailing a perfectly gorgeous ship on a perfectly gorgeous day he could not begin to fathom. So Jack found himself physically grabbing a man, hauling him to a task and setting him to it while he watched the man start on it. For tasks requiring more than one man, he selected an officer, detached the woman from him and together they would set off to do the same with the seamen they needed. It took several bells (he reminded himself to check the glass periodically), and re-checking the work he'd already started someone on, but he managed to get the sails trimmed properly and some sort of order established on deck. Unless he could get some semblance of discipline back, at least in his officers, it looked to be a long exhausting journey.
Re: HMS Bordello Part 2
anonymous
July 29 2010, 05:09:17 UTC
Patience! Although perhaps I should warn you - I realize that this prompt is just begging for some smut, but there isn't going to be much in my story (just a little at the end :-). I'm so perverse! Of course all the many other talented writers in our community are welcome to take this prompt their preferred direction...
Re: HMS Bordello Part 2
anonymous
July 28 2010, 10:16:27 UTC
Oh, those horrible vixens, using their womanly viles against the poor, defenceless sailors! Luckily at least Jack seems to be immune and would choose his gorgeous ship over a woman any day - wait, that reminds me of another prompt up here...
Wonderful ficlet, and Jack's desperation is, I have to admit, highly entertaining.
He was soon disabused. "Just as well grog's been stopped," he overheard Plaice tell Bonden. "Spirits'll keep a man from rising to the occasion, as you might say."
Now Jack was faced with the command of a ship that might very well be the first in Royal Navy history to founder in a mild one-foot swell in a steady topsail breeze. Girls were all very well, he thought; God knew he loved a wench himself, had one in his cot himself last night, no reason not to, off-duty and willing girl. But the ship came first! How anyone could hang on the lips of some possibly pretty but certainly ignorant girl instead of sailing a perfectly gorgeous ship on a perfectly gorgeous day he could not begin to fathom.
So Jack found himself physically grabbing a man, hauling him to a task and setting him to it while he watched the man start on it. For tasks requiring more than one man, he selected an officer, detached the woman from him and together they would set off to do the same with the seamen they needed. It took several bells (he reminded himself to check the glass periodically), and re-checking the work he'd already started someone on, but he managed to get the sails trimmed properly and some sort of order established on deck. Unless he could get some semblance of discipline back, at least in his officers, it looked to be a long exhausting journey.
Reply
Reply
Of course all the many other talented writers in our community are welcome to take this prompt their preferred direction...
Reply
Reply
Wonderful ficlet, and Jack's desperation is, I have to admit, highly entertaining.
Reply
Leave a comment