Contributed by - Marabout
Chapter 3 - Flogged
Flogged
At the same time as William was standing, facing the wall in the
punishment block, naked and miserable, Captain Ndembe was sitting in her
comfortable office entertaining her two good friends, Charity and Anne,
whom she had invited to witness William�s flogging. The pretty young
secretary had served the two guests with beer, while Captain Ndembe
drank tea, as they sat around a low table chatting in Ciazangi,
interspersed with frequent bursts of English. Charity was the District
Chairwoman of the Presidential Party. She was in her mid-forties and,
like most mature Azangan women of the more prosperous classes, well
fleshed, with a comfortable double chin, smooth, plump arms, a
well-furnished bust and a well-cushioned bottom. Self-confident and
completely self-assured, she was a boss and she knew it. Her white teeth
gleamed as she threw her head back in full-throated, thigh-slapping
laughter. Her friend Anne, the wife of the local police chief, was
equally plump, ebullient and vivacious. Both women wore the traditional,
voluminous Azangan dress and headdress, embellished with the portrait of
the President, and the neck, arms and fingers of both glittered with
gold jewellery.
�So you have a surprise in store for us today, Florence!� said Charity,
laying her glass on the table. �Come on, tell us! You know we are
bursting with curiosity!�
�Patience, Charity, patience! By the way, I am glad to see that you have
not forgotten to bring your video camera. You will be able to make a
good film today!�
�Of course, I haven�t forgotten. I have also brought you a copy of the
last flogging I filmed � that young school teacher who was making
political trouble and criticizing our President? Mary Kamanga sentenced
her to twenty-five strokes, you remember! Oh oh oh! She really got a
thrashing, didn�t she! And what a noise she made! Well, you will see it
all on the film. I hope it taught that foolish woman a lesson!�
�Oh yes, she has learnt her lesson. I don�t think she will want to cause
any more trouble when she completes her sentence.�
�Now, come on! Tell us the surprise, Florence!� said Anne, laughing.
�What, don�t you read the newspaper? Didn�t you see the report about
Judge Kamanga�s latest case?� said the Captain, teasingly.
�Oh oh oh! Now I know!� Charity butted in with a gust of high-pitched
laughter. �It�s that white man who was caught drug-trafficking! Am I
right?�
�Yes, you have guessed, Charity! Mary Kamanga instructed me to make a
special example of him � you know how she hates drug-traffickers. So I
decided to keep him here in the women�s block for the time being. As you
know, public flogging was abolished some time ago, but together with you
two, there will be a number of the wives of my senior male officers,
Doctor Patel and her nurse, besides half-a-dozen of my women officers to
witness the punishment, so the culprit will suffer the humiliation of a
public flogging. And of course, the flogging will be administered by
Sergeant Mbenge.�
The two ladies laughed. They were familiar with the sergeant�s expertise
with the rattan cane. For over two years now they had been coming to the
female section of Malembe Prison, at their friend�s invitation, to
witness floggings. This, however, would be the first time they would
witness the flogging of a male prisoner, and a white man at that! They
could hardly contain their excitement.
�Oh! What a great idea!� Charity exclaimed, laughing her exuberant
laugh. �I think we are in for some great fun today! Oh, I really love to
see a good, sound flogging! I hope the sergeant will make it a hot one!�
She smacked her lips with relish and took another hearty swig from her
beer glass.
The others laughed. They were always amused by Charity�s voracious
appetite for food and drink as well as her uninhibited enthusiasm for
corporal punishment. The ladies chatted merrily for another ten minutes
or so, and then Captain Ndembe looked at her watch. �It�s time to go to
the punishment room,� she announced. �Drink up your beer, ladies! You
are going to watch this white man get what he deserves!�
***********
�Let�s go!� said Sergeant Mbenge, rising and going over the where the
unhappy William was standing. �We mustn�t keep the ladies waiting. It is
not polite.� She lifted William�s flaccid penis with the tip of her
rubber stick and jigged it up and down, grinning wickedly at Corporal
Mbaya, who laughed.
�Oh, you are lucky, Patience!� said the corporal enviously. �If only I
wasn�t on duty here I would love to see this white man get his fat ass
whipped!�
�Don�t worry, Corporal� the sergeant replied. �You will get your chance.
This ass is going to stay here with us as our guest for some time!� She
gave William a smart slap on the behind with the palm of her hand and
pushed him towards the door. �We have some nice rattan canes just
waiting to get to know this ass!�
William was led out of the punishment block and across the yard towards
the building where he had been subjected to the reception process the
day before. Sergeant Mbenge shoved him through the door into the long
processing room. What awaited William was a very different scene from
that of yesterday. The long table was still there, but behind it sat
Captain Ndembe, with Doctor Patel to her right and two plump, smiling,
well-dressed and bejeweled African ladies. Standing or seated on chairs
to the right of the table were seven other African women, of varying
ages, wives of senior prison officers. To the left of the table stood
the pretty young secretary, Jane, and the fat young nurse. Opposite the
table stood the whipping apparatus � the so-called A-frame, on account
of its shape. Four female prison officers were standing by it.
There was an immediate buzz of excitement with bursts of laughter here
and there from the women spectators as William was prodded over to
stand, head bowed and utterly shamefaced to stand before Captain Ndembe.
William felt the eyes of every woman in the room fixed on his naked body
as he stood there unable to use his hands to preserve even a grain of
modesty thanks to the handcuffs. He was kept standing there for the
space of a couple of minutes, exposed to amused comments and mocking
laughter of the assembled women. He was clearly in a state of acute
anxiety, shaking with fear and with the sweat pouring down his bare
body. It had been twenty-four hours, since he was first stripped naked
by the officers at his reception; he had stood naked before the Captain
in her office and before the doctor; he had suffered mockery and torment
at the hands of the guards. Now, standing in the punishment room naked
before these eighteen fully-clad women, knowing that he was shortly to
be soundly thrashed for their amusement, William felt he had plumbed the
very depths of humiliation. Had he but known, this was just the
beginning.
The Captain rapped the table for silence. �Prisoner William Maze, on the
24th of this month you were convicted by the Central Court, under Her
Honor Judge Mary Kamanga, of a very serious crime, to wit, narcotics
contraband and trafficking, and you were sentenced to a term of five
years hard labour together with mandatory corporal punishment, in your
case fifty strokes of the rattan cane. You have been brought here today
to receive this corporal punishment before the assembled witnesses.
However, under the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Sita
Patel, I have decided that the number of strokes to e administered today
will be thirty. The remaining twenty strokes will be administered at a
later date not less than thirty days from today. Prisoner, have you
anything to say before the sentence is carried out?�
William uttered a barely audible �No, Madame Captain� and the Captain
continued, �Very well. Then, I trust that the shame of this punishment
and the pain you are about to suffer will serve as a lesson to you so
that you will never again be tempted to break the law of Azanga. Do your
duty, Sergeant.�
Again there was a hubbub of excited chatter from the women spectators as
William was pulled over to the stout, heavy wooden A-frame. There are
few things the Azangans enjoy more than watching a good flogging. This
does not mean that they are necessarily a cruel people. In fact, they
are generally friendly, hospitable and out-going. However, they also
share the conviction that wrong-doers must be punished and that it is
perfectly normal and laudable for all good citizens to derive
satisfaction and pleasure from the punishment. The traditional and most
common form of punishment, of course, is corporal punishment, and
beatings are administered widely in schools and in families, as well as
in prison. Given the matriarchal character of Azangan society, women are
particularly fond of inflicting and of witnessing thrashings, not only
of their naughty children but frequently of errant husbands, and they
enjoy jokes and stories about such episodes. It was, therefore, only
natural that poor William would be the recipient of much good-humored
and ribald comment. He had committed an offence and so he had to be
punished. In William�s case this interest was heightened by the fact
that he was a white man. The ladies of Azanga did not often have the
opportunity to enjoy the spectacle of a naked white man on the receiving
end of a sound flogging.
The spectators watched with interest as William was fastened over the
A-frame. First, Sergeant Mbenge removed the handcuffs. Then, bending him
over the padded waist bar with his feet apart, two guards buckled a
sturdy canvas strap around each ankle and made them fast to the lower
bar of the frame. When this was done, they went round to the other side
of the frame and fastened his wrists, wide apart to the lower bar on
that side. William was now restrained, bent over so that his buttocks
were uppermost, presenting an easy target to the flogger and a fine view
to the spectators. The sergeant walked around making sure that the
straps were secure and patting and pinching the culprit�s buttocks to
ascertain where the fleshiest parts might be. Finally she declared
herself satisfied and walked over to a bucket, placed behind the frame,
which contained half-a-dozen rattan canes soaking in water. She selected
one, after testing two or three by swishing them through the air
briskly, causing William to flinch and bringing a gust of laughter from
the watching women. William had submitted docilely to these
preparations. He knew that resistance was pointless. At the same time
his mind was in a whirr of conflicting emotions � fear, shame, disbelief
that this was really happening and, strangely, a kind of resignation to
his fate and a feeling that this was what he deserved and needed.
�Are you ready, Sergeant?� asked Captain Ndembe.
�Yes, Captain,� answered the sergeant, flexing the supple cane, which
was about three feet long and about a quarter of an inch thick, with
tape wrapped around one end to provide a grip.
�Very well, Sergeant. The sentence is thirty strokes on the prisoner�s
buttocks with an interval of thirty seconds between each stroke. There
will be a pause of three minutes after each ten. Jane, you will count
the strokes and time the punishment. Are you ready/�
�Yes, Captain,� said the young officer. She stood to one side of the
A-frame, looking down at the unhappy victim, obviously excited to be
carrying out this duty.
William himself, spread-eagled helpless over the padded bar, his bare
buttocks displayed for all to see, was breathing heavily, cringing in
anticipation of the first stroke as Sergeant Mbenge took her stance
behind him and laid the cane across his bottom, taking aim. There was
now an expectant hush in the room and all eyes were focused excitedly on
the pair of upturned buttocks, shining white under the harsh light of
the punishment room.
The sergeant raised the cane well up behind her head, looking at the
young woman, Jane, waiting for her count.
�One!� Jane called.
With a vigorous swing of her torso, the sergeant brought the cane
swishing down to land with a solid thud across the culprit�s buttocks,
drawing from him a piercing squeal and causing him to jerk his head
upwards in agony. This was greeted by cries of approbation and delight
from the spectators.
�Yes, sergeant! That was nice!� Charity called. �Give him some more like
that! Make him suffer for his crime!�
Charity had been busy with her video camera ever since William had been
brought in. She had recorded him standing before the table and being
strapped to the frame, and now she was on her feet moving around the
A-frame to film the flogging from different angles.
During the thirty seconds interval before the next stroke, William lay
wriggling over the bar, wincing as the pain of the first stroke
penetrated his body. A vivid red weal began to form across the centre of
his white buttocks. Meanwhile, Sergeant Mbenge again took aim and raised
her cane. Jane watched the clock on the wall behind the A-frame,
counting the seconds. Then she signaled to the sergeant.
�Two!�
Again the supple cane came flashing down across William�s bottom,
bringing about the same agonized howl from the victim and the same noisy
approval from the onlookers. In Azanga people show a certain admiration
for a malefactor, however deserving of his punishment he might be, if he
shows courage and fortitude during a flogging, but William was showing
precisely the opposite. He was already howling and crying for mercy
after only two lashes, thus earning jeers and laughter from the watching
women. Dignity, however, was the last thing on William�s mind by now. He
was hardly conscious of the jibes and mockery of the spectators, his
whole body and mind being dominated by the excruciating pain that
throbbed and burned through his buttocks.
His frantic squirming and cries of pain mercy, which increased in
intensity as each stroke fell, only served to increase the enjoyment of
the onlookers. The punishment was carried out remorselessly until the
first ten strokes had been administered. Then, Sergeant Mbenge stepped
aside and Doctor Patel rose from the chair where she had been sitting
watching the whole procedure without emotion. She examined William�s
backside and then directed the nurse to soak a cloth in a bowl of ice
water which was placed over the battered and swollen buttocks.
�Doctor, please, help me, please!� he gasped, trying to turn his face to
the doctor, begging her to intervene.
But his pleas went unheeded, and she, returning to her seat, indicated
to Captain Ndembe that the punishment could be continued. William lay
groaning, the pain in his buttocks only slightly soothed by the cold wet
cloth. Sergeant Mbenge meanwhile had selected a new cane and was
swishing it vigorously to test its flexibility. This exercise much
amused the ladies, who expressed their encouragement and desire to see
the cane well used on the deserving offender. The wet cloth was snatched
away, revealing once again William�s bruised and crimson buttocks and
the sergeant took up her stance. At the call of �eleven� she resumed the
punishment with the same force and accuracy as before. The room rang to
the swish and crack of the cane, the ever wilder shrieks of the victim
and the general merriment of the spectators, who took pleasure in
counting out the strokes in Cizangi, in chorus: �Mimojo! Mibali! Misato!
Minei! Mitano! Mituba! Misambo! Mwambi! Lubwa! Zumi!�
The ten strokes were delivered without mercy and William was left,
sobbing and blubbering, as he lay limply over the padded bar of the
A-frame. Once again Doctor Patel went over to examine the state of his
behind. This time, after instructing the young nurse to cover William�s
buttocks with the wet cloth again, she returned to the table to speak in
a low voice to Captain Ndembe. The Captain listened seriously and then
rose and went over to the A-frame with the doctor. The nurse removed the
wet cloth and Captain Ndembe studied William�s bottom carefully for a
couple of minutes, talking with Doctor Patel as she did so. Then she
nodded and returned to her seat at the table.
�The punishment is suspended on Doctor Patel�s advice,� she announced.
�The prisoner will receive the remaining thirty strokes of his sentence
in two doses of fifteen strokes at intervals of twenty-eight days.�
There was a general groan of disappointment from the onlookers, who were
generally of the opinion that a good punishment should not be curtailed
and who were hoping to see blood drawn. This, however, was precisely
what Captain Ndembe wished to avoid. As it was, William�s ridged and
furrowed buttocks were not a pretty sight. The guards were ordered to
unfasten the restraining straps around William�s wrists and ankles and
half carry him out of the punishment room and across the yard to the
medical block, where he was laid face down on a bed in the corridor,
with one wrist handcuffed to the bed frame to prevent escape, though in
his condition it was highly unlikely that he could have got very far.
Doctor Patel came shortly after to examine his backside. As William lay
sobbing miserably both from the throbbing pain in his burning bottom and
from the utter humiliation which he felt, the doctor looked down at him
not unkindly.
�Your buttocks are swollen and bruised,� she said gently, �but the skin
is not broken. It was lucky for you that Captain Ndembe took my advice
and stopped the punishment when she did. Anyway, you will feel sore for
about a week, but that is all. Now you will stay here for a couple of
hours and I will tell nurse to put a cold compress on your buttocks.
Don�t worry.�
These were the first kind words that William had heard since he arrived
at the prison and he felt so grateful that he was unable to prevent
himself from bursting into tears as he thanked the doctor in a strangled
voice. After she had left, the young nurse rubbed William�s bottom
carefully with surgical spirit, which stung at first, and then placed
the cold compress over it. The effect was immediately soothing and
William lay there, exhausted both physically and mentally. Some time
later the young nurse came to change the compress and bring William a
cup of sweet tea, for which he was most grateful.
�Well, how are you feeling now?� she asked in a friendly way. �They gave
you a good beating, didn�t they? But your bottom will feel better soon,
don�t worry.�
William thanked her and they talked for a while. She told him that she
was quite new there at the prison and asked William about himself and
why he was there. When he told her that he had been sentenced for drug
trafficking, she expressed her disapproval.
�Oh, that is a very bad thing!� She said, frowning. �You know you must
be punished for doing that! I hope that you will not do such a thing
again.�
Not long after, a guard came to return William to the punishment block.
He still found walking uncomfortable and could only move slowly. When
they entered the punishment block building, Corporal Mbaya was there.
She had not been able to witness William�s flogging, much to her
disappointment, so now she obliged him to bend over and show his aching
behind for her amusement, before conducting him back to his cell. Once
there, he sank down onto the straw mat, where he lay face down, trying
not to move, for each movement caused him to shudder and wince in pain.
************
By this time, Captain Ndembe and her two friends had returned to the
Captain�s office, where they sat enjoying another beer before leaving.
�Oh, Florence, that was a good flogging!� said Charity, laughing. �But
why did you stop it just when it was getting to the most interesting
part?�
�Ah, Charity, I have my reasons!� said the Captain. �You see, I don�t
want this white man to be seriously injured. If I sent him to the men�s
block, he would not last for five minutes, working in the quarry or in
the fields. No, I want to keep him here and in a reasonably good state
of health, because I have plans for him. After he has undergone a period
of obedience and discipline training with Sergeant Mbenge in the
punishment block, he should be ready to come to my house to work as my
house-boy. He will learn his lesson, but little by little and I will
have a good time teaching him. What do you think of that?�
The two ladies laughed. �Oh, now we understand! And I hope you will
invite us often to help you!�
�Don�t worry. You will be the first guests!�
