PEG BOY

by Berube, R. G.

  “Why do you do this,” he asked. “Is it because your family is poor, Fernando?”

  Fernando laughed. “No. My family is not poor. My father is well-to-do. He owns a warehouse. It is because I love men, and it makes no sense to make love to them without getting paid, if they are willing.”

  Santiago sat with Fernando as they dangled their legs between the balustrades of the upper deck, watching the sailors leave the ship for their evening pleasures. Fernando snickered.

  “My father learned that I was doing this and he forbade me from coming here, but I still do. I could never get his permission to sail on a ship. He would know immediately why I was doing it and would send his men to carry me off. Doing this in this way gets me what I want and father thinks I am being a good boy.”

  Santiago whispered to his new friend, “Fernando, what if I do what you suggest and sleep with the Captain. What if my father finds out? He would tear me apart. Should I let the Captain do what he wishes? I am sure he has interest in me. I would not mind making love to him if I knew father would not know of it.”

  “You must surely be careful. But Captain Alvarez is a cautious man and does not take chances. Few of the crew knows that he likes boys, although some suspect it. You must not let anyone know you are letting him have his way. If that happens, you will quickly become the target of each man who fancies you.”

  “I will be careful and will not place myself in that position.”

  Both boys were feeling the effects of a near empty bottle of wine. Each sensed interest in the other and Santiago was reluctant to let his new friend leave.

  “Will you come to see the ship set sail tomorrow? I would like to say good-bye to you, Fernando.”

  Fernando looked at Santiago with a smile that had implications.

  “I know a place where we can say our good-byes tonight! Will you come?”

  “Fernando..., are you...”

  “Santiago, I am what I am. And I think I am like you. Will you come with me now?”

  Santiago followed Fernando off the ship to a deserted part of the wharf where they took off their clothes and made love. Although it was wonderful, it fell short of the sensations he had felt with Fidel. Yet he was able to give his new friend pleasure as he felt the satisfaction of having Fernando climax in him. They kissed and held each other for a long time, then Fernando rose to leave with a promise that he would see Santiago set sail.

  Santiago found his way back to the ship. As he walked up the gangplank it creaked and it was the only sound to beak the stillness beside the sound of lapping water against the sides of the ship. Captain Alvarez was standing on the poop and had been watching the boys for some time. When Santiago looked up, he motioned for the boy to join him.

  “You seem lost, Santi. Has your friend left for the night?”

  Captain Alvarez saw Santiago look away with embarrassment when he realized he had been discovered.

  “He is a good boy, Santi. You did well in choosing him for a friend. Fernando is wonderful to be with, is he not?”

  Once again Santiago avoided the captain’s eyes.

  “Do not be ashamed. I understand you, Santiago. I know how you feel. We are brothers, in a sense. I would like to make your journey a pleasant one for you and your father. You could make it pleasant for me as well. We can be of use to each other. But only if you are willing! You must not misunderstand what I am saying. I would continue to like you even if you said no to me. I will not force from you what you do not care to give. Do you understand what I am saying to you, boy?”

  Santiago turned and faced the Captain.

  “Yes, I know what you are saying. I do want to be with you. I would enjoy being with you when you wanted me. I want you!”

  “Then we understand each other. Good! All I ask is that you be careful that no one knows what we are doing. Some will wonder. There is always talk of these things among the crew, and there is always speculation about the captain and his cabin boy.”

  “Am I to be your cabin boy?”

  This was a favored position. The cabin boy dined on what the Captain was served – a better diet than the one fed to the rest of the crew. The cabin boy also slept in his own quarters, albeit extremely compact, next to the Captain’s. This meant more comfort and warmer nights.

  “I will tell your father, and ask for his permission. Do you want this?”

  “Oh yes, Señor. I would like it very much.” Santiago could not hide his excitement.

  “Good, then let us hope he will be agreeable. Now it has grown cold and the fire in my cabin is lit. Come with me and we can share a bit of brandy to warm us.”

  Santiago followed. The room was small and compact, with charts everywhere. The bed was set in an alcove built into the wall and it was curtained for privacy. Santiago went to it and sat. He accepted the glass of brandy and their hands touched and lingered. Captain Alvarez sat on a stool in front of him. Santiago felt the warm liquid flow down his throat and spread throughout his body.

  “Make yourself comfortable, boy.” Captain Alvarez locked the door and disrobed. Santiago stood and pulled off his shirt. In the pale light of the lantern the Captain saw the satin luster of the boy’s skin. He saw the brown nipples already hard, and he eyed the flat stomach as it contracted when the man reached to touch the erect penis. Captain Alvarez fell to his knees and adored the boy before him, caressing and kissing Santiago’s hips and thighs, touching his navel with his tongue, letting it continue to explore the places offered to him. Santiago’s eyes blazed with desire, fired by the passion of his first experience with a man, sensing the power he had over the adult who begged for him.

  When their passion abated they stayed clasped together and remained so until a late hour when they heard the sound of men returning from the town.

  “You had better get back to your bunk, Santi. No need to distress your father. Although I expect he will be little aware if you have been there or not. No need to take chances now. Be cautious that no one sees you leaving my quarters. Tomorrow you will bring your things here, with your father’s permission.”

  Santiago stretched and kissed Alvarez on the lips and let his hand stray to the still-hard cock. He smiled coyly.

  “I will be good to this,” he said, cradling the penis in his hand.

  “And I will be a good cabin boy and will take my job seriously!” Santiago laughed.

  Don Emilio approved of Captain Alvarez’s offer.

  “The work is such,” Captain Alvarez explained, “that he will be free to work with you for most of the day. I will need him to maintain order in my quarters. He will be away from the other men and their rough ways.”

  Don Emilio was grateful and expressed his thanks.

  “You are kind to think of the boy. I would prefer that he be kept from the others. They seem to have a bad influence with their language and manners. You have my appreciation.”

  “On the contrary my friend! You have my appreciation for your willingness to let me use your boy!”

  Captain Alvarez smiled and filled glasses with wine. They drank to Santiago’s health and success.

  With cargo in the hold and sails set, they took the tide out of Callao on the 3rd of January. The journey was to last approximately two months, perhaps longer if the winds blew them off course. The Torrid Zone was known for its baffling and often contrary winds. Ships had been blown out to sea almost as far as the Pacific Islands.

  Though the purpose of the ship was to transport trade goods, the Captain would not ignore the many ports along the route in which hundreds were near-hysterical to book passage to the gold fields. His revenue could be significantly increased. All the ship’s living quarters had been filled in Callao. Now only the deck was available and it began to overflow with people, most of whom were Peruvians. In each port they registered more passengers. In Manta and Ecuador they took on bananas, coffee, and cacao along with human cargo. They docked in Buenaventura, a seaport of some importance in Colombia. There, more fortune-seekers board
ed along with the bales of cotton that had lined the docks like walls of snow. The last port of call before sailing to deeper waters and on to San Francisco was Panama, where some of the earlier cargo was unloaded and was replaced with grain and sugarcane.

  It was in the port of Panama that Captain Alvarez pointed out a marvelous ship to Santiago. This new vessel was powered by a wheel turned by steam. It needed no sail and could move under its own power. The ship was called The California. It too was due to sail to San Francisco. Much ceremony and attention was accorded the vessel and its crew by the town’s people and dignitaries, and was a wildly commemorative event.

  At sea each day passed with little trouble. The weather held and the ship kept on course. Santiago spent many hours on deck feeling the sun on his skin, loving the wind as it blew through his hair. He fed the birds that seemed ever nearby the ship’s side, keeping pace with its speed. In the evening he liked to sit on the high cross-arm. Santiago had learned to climb the masts and hold securely to the ropes high above the deck. He sat, watching the sun as it disappeared below the horizon each evening, blazing the sky and clouds with shades of colors he had never seen. At night Santiago watched the fish trace wakes of phosphorescence, a ghostly marker of their presence. Each evening when the wind seemed too cold to enjoy the solitude any longer, he would climb down and go to Captain Alvarez’s arms. His sleep was always peaceful except for being awakened to the sound of Fidel’s name on his lips – his eyes wet from the longing for him.

  Captain Alvarez was careful not to show his new protégé too much attention during the daylight hours. But in the quiet of the night there was nothing the man was not willing to do for the boy. Although Santiago had his own tiny room beside the Captain’s quarters with a door connecting, Santiago slept with him each night. The main door was bolted for privacy.

  Captain Alvarez was amazed at Santiago’s studied detachment during the day compared to his incredible evening passions. He had to admit that there had been no other boy like Santiago, for looks and performance. Santiago had mastered several sexual practices that could be of great use if he decided to sell himself. The fact that he would be off in the wilderness of California meant that many who would have paid highly for his services, would be deprived of his pleasures.

  “You could find gold easily in San Francisco, Santi. You would not need to go dig for it, nor would you need to travel far to find it. Truly you possess your own gold-mine between your legs!”

  “Would you pay for me?”

  “I would pay whatever you asked, and so would many others. You could become...,” but the Captain thought better of urging the boy to sell himself. Santiago would be better with his father, and he spoke no more of it.

  Days turned into weeks and each one was filled with excitement. All were kept busy mending and rebuilding worn and old equipment. The winds grew stronger and sails were torn. Masts loosened and needed reinforcement. The ships carpenter was never idle as much needed attention. Santiago was seldom out of his father’s calling.

  They were on deck one afternoon repairing planking that had given way when the First Mate called out the sighting of the rising hills of Mazatlãn. The mist had lifted and through the glass Santiago saw the lush vegetation. There were islands close together separated by narrow channels. High cliffs of scarred, red rock plummeted steeply into the water and at their base the surf surged constantly against the walls of rock. Foam ringed the tide line of the palisades. He was amazed at the serenity of the bluish mountains thick with growth compared with the hills of his homeland, which were mostly barren.

  Each day brought new wonder as Santiago watched the passing land, seeing lowlands give way to hills and mountains that rose from the ocean. The air grew colder and fog often enveloped them by early afternoon. When this occurred duty was assigned to stand starboard and call through the bullhorn to warm other approaching ships of their proximity. They had been four weeks at sea and the winds had carried them slowly northward. Increased sea traffic told them that they were approaching a port of some importance.

  It was the noise on deck and the sun shining in through the open window that woke Santiago. He was surprised to find Captain Alvarez already up and out. Santiago dressed then stopped by the quarters shared by his father and three other men. Don Emilio was not there. The ship’s cook had prepared breakfast and Santiago accepted the bowl when he entered the galley.

  “Yesterday’s toil took its toll on you,” the cook commented, eyeing Santiago in a way that he had noted on several other occasions. “You are the last to get breakfast. The Captain thinks we may make port this very morning if the winds continue to be with us. Depends on how things blow.”

  “Where is he,” Santiago asked, choosing not to respond the cook’s implication.

  “Somewhere on deck, I am sure of it. Here boy, now go find your Captain as I am sure he is missing you as much as you miss him.”

  As Santiago climbed the stairs to the deck he could hear the cook still laughing. He found Captain Alvarez on the poop calling out orders to trim the sails, as they were close to land and too much sail would send them onto the rocks. The ship hugged the coastline so that strong winds off shore would not reduce maneuverability. Santiago saw that the captain had taken notice of him, but his duties prevented acknowledgment other than a perfunctory nod. Then he heard his father call his name.

  “My God, where have you been? The sun has been up three hours. You should have been at work by now!”

  “I had a bad night last night. The Captain told me to sleep in this morning.”

  “You still look weary. Are you feeling better? What is the matter?”

  “Nothing serious. He told me he thought it was indigestion.”

  “Work will take your mind off that. We have much to do. We expect to dock in San Francisco this day. Come, I need you.”

  Father and son spent the next three hours building pens for the large store of animals that would be brought back to Mexico on the return voyage. Constant effort soon had Santiago thinking of nothing but helping his father and doing the work well so that he would be pleased. Soon they were joking and singing together, and it was some time before Don Emilio realized some of the songs were such that, some weeks earlier, the thought of singing them would never had entered his mind.

  Time was forgotten until they heard the shouting. The hatch was thrown open and a crewman called to them that the famous points of land that marked the doorway of the gold-laden hills, could be seen a few miles away. On deck, they watched as the ship sailed swiftly between the two jutting legs of land and indeed the high hills on each did form a barrier or portal.

  The wind had whipped the water’s surface and whitecaps slammed against the bow as it sailed the swift current between peninsulas. The sails filled and the ropes and canvass slapped together loudly like thunder. The added noise of the cheering crowd all pushing together to get a better view made the event seem like a battle. Santiago looked about and met Captain Alvarez’s eyes. He turned and spoke to a crewman nearby, who climbed down to where Santiago and his father stood.

  “The Captain wants you to join him,” the man shouted above the noise.

  Santiago followed his father. Captain Alvarez extended his hand to both.

  “We have arrived. I wish you both God’s grace. We have made a safe journey and I am happy it was one with little trouble. Sometimes the passage can be difficult because of storms. Perhaps this little one was good luck for us?”

  The captain tousled Santiago’s hair and smiled at him.

  “We wish to thank you for your kindness,” Don Emilio held the captain’s hand. “You have been of great help.”

  “And you, to me!” Captain Alvarez returned the handshake. “Your son is a fine boy and a hard worker. I am sure he will be of great service to you. May you find your fortunes!”

  Don Emilio placed his arm around Santiago’s shoulders. “I am proud of my son. We are a team, right Santiago?’

  “Yes father, we are a te
am!”

  His face expressed pride at the recognition as his father extolled his virtues.

  While Don Emilio looked in enchantment at the magnificent hills and vessels following them, Captain Alvarez came closer to Santiago’s ear

  “A special thanks to you. You are a beautiful and gentle boy. You made my journey one of the most pleasurable ones I have experienced in my many years of sailing.”

  The Captain put an arm around the shoulders of Don Emilio and his son. There had been no mishaps or serious quarrels, shootings, or stabbings among the crew or passengers. Only once had he needed to assert his authority with an incident of a man who had become overly familiar with his insinuation about the Captain and his “wife”, referring to the cabin-boy. The man had been put off ship when they had stopped to replenish water at a small port north of Mazatlãn. No one had died, and all cargo had been delivered undamaged. And there had been the added pleasure of the boy beside him. Captain Alvarez wondered what would happen to Santiago after many months in the wilderness, and was happy to have had him in his prime.

  While making anchor at a long wharf the skies filled with seabirds that seemed to have captured the excitement of the crowds that lined the shore. Little space was left to stand and watch the proceedings as the word spread through town that two ships were anchoring that day. One was the new steamship. Both would be filled with hopeful aliens who had sold everything to book passage and begin the quest that, for many, would end in failure and disappointment.

  Like Panama, the harbor was festively decorated with banners and bunting of many colors. Hundreds collected along the streets and the harbor was filled with many smaller vessels. Captain Alvarez informed them that the celebration was on the occasion of the arrival of the California, the ship that had opened a new era in ocean travel. Town officials and the Territorial Governor were present to officiate. Fireworks and music would fill the air and general disorder was the norm.