“If you’re lucky, any swelling and redness will begin to disappear over the next few days. In a couple of weeks, your balls could even be back on active service, but none of you ugly lot would be so lucky. Now, has anybody got any questions?”

Lockhart recalled that there had simply been a silence. They had all joked about it that evening at the mess, but Lockhart guessed that every man had lain in bed, as he had done, praying that he would never be in such a situation, but gently practicing Jock’s technique all the same.

And here he was, knowing that he would have to do as Jock had taught them. He tried to convince himself that the pain was subsiding—that it was only a little bruising that would soon go away. But he was feeling nauseous, another symptom that Jock had described. He had to act quickly, before any permanent damage was done.

Lying flat on the floor, he slowly pulled his trousers and underwear down to his knees. Even the movement of the fabric over his genitals caused acute bursts of pain, and for a few moments he lay there panting, steeling himself for the agony to come. He reached down to his groin, and as gently as he could, felt his genitals. One of his testicles had swollen and was much higher than the other. The lightest touch was enough to make his eyes water profusely. He wanted to scream out, but he had to stop himself. If a guard came in and saw him, he would probably get another kick.

If it was going to be done, it had better be done quickly. He stuffed his right collar in his mouth and bit hard. Once more, he moved his hand down, and grasped the testicle between his thumb and fingers. He paused, letting his body become accustomed to this level of pain, trying to make it accept it as normal before proceeding to new agonies. He started to turn the testicle.

Lockhart guessed that he should turn it away from his body, and he guessed right. He gritted his teeth, and allowed himself to let out a stifled scream. The pain was ridiculous, and he had to use all his willpower to keep going. Every muscle in his body had tensed up, lifting much of him off the floor. He continued turning, and as he did so, he could feel the pain easing off slightly. Was he there? When was he supposed to stop?