It is hard to believe that those who invented the game, Stockade, or the adult leaders who arranged for the campers to play it, had no idea of the kinds of thoughts that would be kindled in the minds of adolescent boys. Each side had a stockade located between two cabins. A line halved the field that separated the two rows of facing cabins. One team was the Mohawks and the other was the Iroquois. In this way, the camp was organized into an artificial rivalry.

Each side was provided with small slips of paper, each with a number written on it. Most carried the number five, the number ten was on a few, four had 25, and on one was the number 100. The object of the game was to convey the slips into the opposite stockade without being tagged and have the highest total score at the end of the allotted time.

Once a boy crossed the center line into the other team’s territory, if he was tagged he was captured. Whenever a youngster managed to get into the stockade without being caught, he scored the value of the slip that he carried and any prisoners were freed. However, if he was tagged, his captors could take the slip and its number. Then the would-be invader was placed in the stockade as a prisoner, but only if they could find the slip. For this purpose, a boy’s captors were allowed to search him.

The boys enjoyed going through a prisoner’s pockets. The captive was required to submit to the hunt, but had no obligation to assist in any way. The examiners looked wherever they wished, just as the insurgent could hide the folded paper anywhere he dared. Often it would be found tucked inside a sock, or other obvious places. Sometimes the paper wouldn’t be found so easily.

*****

Dennis was pleased with himself when he tagged Tyler, who was one of the best on the opposing team. Small but fast and shifty, he might well have gotten away. In avoiding capture by another boy, Tyler almost ran into Dennis and he was quick enough to make the tag.

His teammate joined in the search for the slip of paper. The capture of a youngster who was attractive and well liked did not go unobserved. Seth offered his assistance when he noticed the delay in finding the desired object. There was a lot of silliness in their banter back and forth and with Tyler.

“Take him into the cabin,” Seth suggested, gesturing toward the nearest one.

“What for?” Dennis asked.

“Because we may have to take his pants off,” Seth explained, with a grin. “Unless, of course, he just wants to show us where it is.”

“You’ll never find it,” Tyler asserted with bravado. He allowed himself to be brought into the cabin.

The boys began removing Tyler’s clothes and looking more thoroughly for the little piece of paper. The prisoner stood still giving no resistance to this process. It was a requirement of the game, after all. And he was relishing it as much as the other three, although none of them would care to admit how much. Down to his briefs, Tyler couldn’t help a certain demonstration of his enjoyment.

“Oh, he’s got a hard on,” Seth observed, much too loudly.

“Keep your voice down, screwball,” Dennis admonished.

Not more than ten seconds after the captive was naked, the door to the cabin suddenly opened and one of the leaders came in. The pink faced boys momentarily froze in a state of shock followed by noisy and embarrassed justifications for what they were up to.

“Did you find it?” the leader inquired.

“No,” Dennis admitted.

“Did you check through his hair?”

“No,” Seth said, letting out his breath in relief. “It wouldn’t stay there anyway, running around.”

“It might,” the leader replied stepping forward. “He has really thick hair. If it was pushed all the way down to the scalp.” The young man proceeded to check though Tyler’s hair, giving every appearance of hunting for the paper.

“Maybe you missed something in this stuff,” the leader kicked at the pile of clothing. Then he sat down on the nearest cot and examined a sneaker. He banged the toe on the floor and then shook it to see if anything would fall out. The four boys watched as the fellow continued to seek the folded slip.

Apparently satisfied that it was not anywhere in the garments, he said. “Did you check in his ears?”

“No,” Dennis said.

“Well, have a look see,” the man suggested, smiling.

The boys relaxed, realizing that the fellow was joining in the game and not about to rebuke them. At the camp leader’s direction, the three boys carefully examined Tyler’s body. They tilted his head back and looked up the kid’s nostrils, checked between the toes, the crack of his rump. One even put a finger in the youth’s mouth, running it up and along the gums. No one thought it would be there because if would get too soggy, but they looked anyway.

“It has to be here somewhere, unless he ran in without a paper,” Dennis offered.

“Why would he bother to do that?” the man inquired, rhetorically. “It wouldn’t make any sense.” Then he grinned. “I know where it is, don’t I Tyler,” he said in a gleefully devilish way.

There was no response. But for the first time, the prisoner looked flustered. “It must be under your foreskin,” the man said. “Come over here.”

The captive quickly said, “No, it’s wedged under a loose flap on the side of my sneaker. I’ll show you.”

He took up the item and pulled the flap open with a fingernail. “It’s gone,” Tyler said, alarmed.

“Sure it is. Come here, now,” the man directed.

“It isn’t there, I’ll show you,” the boy insisted. He pulled his own foreskin back and showed the revealed tip to the fascinated audience of fellow campers.

The young man laughed and held out the folded paper that he had in the palm of his hand. “You guys be careful not to get caught by the wrong person,” he instructed, before leaving the cabin.

*****

That last remark sobered them up a little. They knew that the guy was right. Their variation on the game could have gotten out of hand and someone less tolerant of sex play might have caused them to be sent home. Tyler got dressed and they rejoined the game in progress. However, the consequences of that event rolled on and on though the remaining days of summer and beyond.

Each of the boys involved himself in adventures with others of that group, including the leader, and with other kids. Sometimes the care exercised left something to be desired. But they were lucky. Other boys and men in later years were not so fortunate. The latter paid dearly for their lack of discretion.