the rest of his men raced back to the
longboat.

"Indians," Charlie whispered knowingly.

The Indians shouted and yelled.

"Are there any cowboys here?" Robin asked hopefully.

"No, sir. No cowboys," Charlie said very definitely.

"I'm hungry," Robin said. "I wish we had something."

With a little squeal of delight, she looked down at her feet. Two
platters of fried chicken, with all the trimmings. Her favorite. They
ate ravenously, not hearing the Indians any more. They watched the
longboat return to the pirate ship. All this way, they could see little
Crimson's dress as Blackbeard took her aboard. Robin finished her fried
chicken and started to cry.

"Girls," said Charlie in disgust.

"I can't help it. Poor Crimson."

"Is she dead?"

"Blackbeard the pirate took her."

"Charles was my grandfather's name. My grandfather died and they named
me Charles."

"I want Crimson!"

"Get down! The Indians will see you."

"The Indians went away. I want Crimson!"

"We could name this beach after Crimson."

"Aw, what do you know? It's only a beach."

"We could name the whole wide world." Charlie gestured expansively.

The green sand of the beach became crimson. The sky had a crimson glow.

"It sure is a funny world," Charlie said. Laughter loud as thunder
echoed in the sky. "A world called Crimson," he added.

* * * * *

The tide came in. Spray and surf bounded off the rocks, wetting them.
"We better go up the hill," Robin said. By hill she meant the
perpendicular cliffs behind them.

The tide thundered in. They were sodden. They clung to the rocks.

"We need an elevator or something," Charlie said.

Golden cables flashed in the sunlight. The gilt elevator cage came down.
They climbed in as a big wave came and battered the rocks. The elevator
went up, up to the top of the cliff. They could see a long way across
the water. They could watch the pirate ship sailing away, the skull
black as night on its sail.

They got out of the elevator at the top of the cliff. They didn't see
any Indians, but they saw the ashes of a campfire.

"Are there lions and tigers and everything?" Robin asked in wonder,
gazing out over the beach and the sea and then turning around to see the
green forest which began fifty yards beyond the edge of the cliff.

"Sure there are lions and tigers," Charlie said matter-of-factly.

* * * * *

Off somewhere in the woods,