like to see the marine naked. This disturbed him. He had seen countless boys and men naked since he had begun highschool, had graduated and joined the navy, and few of them had seemed to him worth a second glance; he had thought, therefore, that when his shipmates made jokes about queers he could laugh with them, for they were not referring to him. On the other hand, they also talked about the innumerable women they knew or had known, and they always spoke in superlatives about how deliciously those women were put together. He realized that he could not remember having seen any woman built as well as this.

The marine finished the message, secured the gear and turned around. The sailor, surprised at his perusal, looked quickly away, blushing. The marine saw this and smiled. He followed the sailor to the window and laid his hand lightly upon his shoulder. The sailor, however, was not prepared to assign a forthright explanation to his own conduct; so that, while he was anything but displeased by the marine's friendliness, he withdrew and put a space between them. A long silence followed, during which they looked out of the window. Finally the marine said, May I ask you something?»>

«Yes.»

<<What do you do when you go on liberty?»> <<Nothing much. Why?>>

<«<Nothing at all?»>

Well, not quite that. I haven't been on the island long. Sometimes I go swimming but usually I go to the ship service or to the library. Sometimes to the movies at NOB. Why do ask?»

—

you

<< Idle curiosity or because it's significant what one does with one's free time. Certain types of men lie in their bunks and sleep or read or write letters; others sit in the PX and drink beer or coke and talk or play cards or dice or marble machines. Still others swim. Some slip off and go the village.>>

<<But that's out of bounds.»>

«True; but that doesn't keep some away; in fact, it appears to make it more attractive.>>

<<Did you ever go there?» the sailor asked. <<Sure.>>

«Why?»

«It was something to do.>>

«<What is it like there? Are there grass huts and do the natives wear sarongs? And why is it out of bounds to military personnel?>>

«Do you really mean you don't know?» the marine evinced disbelief. «There are wooden shacks just like they have them in the slum areas in the States, and the people dress the same way as they do in the slums. The only difference is that they have palm trees here.»>

<<Then why does anyone want to go there?»

The marine stared at him. After a while he asked, «How old are you?»> <<Nineteen.>> The sailor strove with the problem. Then he looked hopefully at the marine and tentatively said, «Girls?» The marine nodded. Encouraged, the sailor went on, «And they all have diseases, and that's why the fellows can't go over there?»>

mattachine REVIEW

<<That's partially correct. But the main reason is that the natives simply don't want their wives and daughters fooled with. The ban is a sort of joint action by the military and the natives.

The sailor watched the ocean. The marine watched the sailor. <«<What, he said, do you do on liberty in the States?

<< About the same things I do here, I guess.

Don't you ever go with girls?»

«Sure. Sometimes. >>

What happens then?

The sailor suspected that he was being cross examined. He glanced at the marine with a trace of annoyance; but again his courage failed the quiet, steady gaze, and he answered, It depends on the girl.»>

<«<Well, of course. I should ask, what kind of girls do you go with? «Oh, well, three or four of us fellows used to go ashore together, sometimes. That was in my San Diego days. I didn't know anybody there, so one of them always fixed me up with a date. We'd all walk around in town or go out to Balboa Park, or get something to eat and go to a movie. It was lots of fun. They were always talking and laughing. Silly, at times. But I liked them a lot. It was what happened late at night that wasn't so good.»

<<What happened then?

«Well

you see, everybody's been running around all afternoon and evening, living it up. Suddenly, everybody gets quiet, the group breaks up into pairs, each fellow with his date, and everybody sits on You know, hugging and kissing.»> park benches and makes love. «And you didn't for that? >> go

So we

<<I don't know. I guess it was all right. But.it happened so suddenly. There we'd be, all together and having a bang-up time of it. Then all at once I realize I'm the only one doing it. Everybody else is quiet and looking sick at each other. Even my date has a funny look in her eye. She just walks along, not saying anything. I feel as if I had missed the boat. Everybody got the same idea at the same time, except me. — go sit down. My date and I just sit there. I try to think up something to say, but I never can. She doesn't say anything, either. So I can't tell whether she's tired and wants to go home or what. I look around at the others, and they're kissing up a storm; so I think maybe that's what we ought to be doing, so I put my arm around her shoulder and kiss her. » «And then what?

―

«And then she leans against me as if she's cold. It's cold in San Diego at night but she's got a big coat on, and I can't see how she could be cold; but they say some girls are anemic, so I don't know. Pretty soon she says something like do you have a girl friend back home, and she says why not, a nice boy like you ought to have lots of girl friends, so I say thanks for the compliment, and then I kiss her again.»> <<What are the others doing by this time?»>

<<They usually disappear. They call over and say they're going for a coke or something and will be right back. But they don't come back, The fellows, not I don't see them until the next morning at muster. the girls. They wink at me and ask me how was it, and when I

say how