A SPLENDID VIEW 53 



clearly distinguished. To our immediate right 

 was a peak of about the same height as that upon 

 which we were standing. The ground had slipped 

 away from it to such an extent that all vegetation 

 had been destroyed, and only the deep red-coloured 

 earth was to be seen. Further to the right 

 towered the " Sugarloaf," boldly outlined against 

 the deep blue sea. It was full of crannies and 

 ledges, in which petrels were nesting in vast 

 numbers. As soon as we appeared above the sky- 

 line, these birds left their nests and flew backwards 

 and forwards in immense and continually in- 

 creasing numbers, until the air was full of a 

 screaming multitude of birds. Below, above and 

 on all sides of us these birds wheeled and shrieked, 

 until the clamour became almost deafening. 



Beyond the " Sugarloaf " we could see " Noah's 

 Ark," a mass of rock rising straight up from the 

 sea, and shaped like the familiar toy so dear to 

 children. This rock was likewise covered with 

 petrels, and they also joined the tumult. At the 

 foot of " Noah's Ark " the pirate's treasure is 

 supposed to be buried. Whether there is really 

 any treasure is doubtful, but if there is, it is 

 probable that it will never be found, as, owing 

 to the brittle character of the soil, the land 

 is continually slipping, so that by this time the 

 treasure must be buried deep, beyond all hope of 

 recovery. 



Far away, and almost on the horizon, the rocky 



