A week later, Mr. Nelson caught Skury unawares. That day, while other students were receiving lectures in the classroom, the principal decided to walk round the classes to take roll call. On getting to Skury's class, he asked about him from his mates but none could tell of his whereabouts.
Later, the principal collected the list of absentees. Along the line, he discovered that all those who were absent were the same set of students alleged to be unserious and stubborn.
Moments later, while returning to his office, he spotted some students from afar in the bush. He was surprised and wondered what any reasonable students could be doing in the bush during the school hours.
He sent for some tough teachers and the school security men and ordered them to get those students from the bush.
Knowing full well that those students would run to escape if they should spot them, they divided themselves into three groups and went after them.
Unfortunately for the boys, they didn't know that they were being hunted. Suddenly, they rounded them up in the bush where they were making merry with the palm wine they stole from a palm tree in the bush.
Skury was smart. He sensed that the principal had caught him already, so he immediately escaped from among them and ran away.
The stubborn students were soon bought to the principal's office. On getting there, the principal expressed his dissatisfaction and anger at those students. Fortunately, their names were all on the compiled list of the absentees except Skury who was not caught along with others.
"what about Skury" he asked. The students in an attempt to cover up for him, pretended not to know, but the teachers exposed them. They told the principal about how he escaped and their misconduct in the bush.
"what! The principal exclaimed. How in earth could you drink palm wine that does not belong to you in the bush during school hours? Don't you know that implications of that? What if it had been poisoned?" then, he angrily ordered them to be seriously caned.
After that, further punishment was meted out of them. They were to uproot some trees in the school compound. The principal was bent on making them a scapegoat.
Now can you see? I called Skury to my office and told him about the allegations levied against him but he vehemently denied them. Now, I wonder how he will deny this."
The principal in his anger vowed to teach him the lesson of his life whenever he returned to school.
The information got to Skury, he was sure that Mr. Nelson meant all he said and would never pardon him. There are then, he decided to dump education. He dropped out of school immediately.
Every attempt of his parents to make him return to school failed. In the long run, they abandoned him. He late joined the touts at the central motor park to fend for himself.
Thanks for reading....
Here are the links to the previous episodes 👇
Episode 6
https://steemit.com/prose/@emmaculate/benson-s-folly-episode-6
Episode 5
https://steemit.com/prose/@emmaculate/benson-s-folly-episode-5
Episode 4
https://steemit.com/prose/@emmaculate/benson-s-folly-episode-4
Episode 3
https://steemit.com/prose/@emmaculate/benson-s-folly-episode-3
Episode 2
https://steemit.com/prose/@emmaculate/benson-s-folly-episode-2
Episode 1
https://steemit.com/prose/@emmaculate/benson-s-folly-episode-1-the-slum
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