In the 1700's, the British built a fortress in what is now downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. Now in it's fifth (?) incarnation, it is known as the Citadel, the very same Citadel Stan Rogers mentions in "Fishermen's Wharf". When I lived in Halifax in the mid-1970's, I woke up to the news on the radio that workers had discovered a tunnel leading down from the Citadel, under the harbour to George's Island (former site of another British military installation) and under the island they had discovered an abandoned storeroom full of treasure. The mayors of Halifax and its neighbouring city Dartmouth, the Premier on Nova Scotia and other officials were interviewed live and seemed to be jockeying to see who would get the lion's share of the booty. Then I looked at the calendar - April 1st.

This ties in to an old Nova Scotia legend that ancient pirates buried treasure on Oak Island, about 45 minutes south of Halifax. A depression under an old oak tree on the island was discovered by two boys in the late 1800's. They began to dig but encountered a flat stone with runic symblols etched on top. The removed the stone and went home. The next day, the tunnel was flooded and has remained flooded ever since. Many people have tried in successive attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery. They've drilled, excavated, built a dam all around the island to try and stop the flooding. Literally millions of $ were spent and a number of people have died in the attempt to drain the pit and find what may be down there. One thing for sure, the pit is man-made, but it remains flooded and may keep its keeps secrets forever. It's a fascinating legend.