V. 
THE WELLFLEET OYSTERMAN. 
Having walked about eight miles since we struck the 
beach, and passed the boundary between Wellfleet and 
Truro, a stone post in the sand, — for even this sand 
comes under the jurisdiction of one town or another, — 
we turned inland over barren hills and valleys, whither 
the sea, for some reason, did not follow us, and, tracing 
up a Hollow, discovered two or three sober-looking 
houses within half a mile, uncommonly near the eastern 
coast. Their garrets were apparently so full of cham¬ 
bers, that their roofs could hardly lie down straight, and 
we did not doubt that there was room for us there. 
Houses near the sea are generally low and broad. 
These were a story and a half high ; but if you merely 
counted the windows in their gable-ends, you would 
think that there were many stories more, or, at any rate, 
that the half-story was the only one thought worthy of 
being illustrated. The great number of windows in the 
ends of the houses, and their irregularity in size and 
position, here and elsewhere on the Cape, struck us 
agreeably,—-as if each of the various occupants who 
had their cunahula behind had punched a hole where 
his necessities required it, and, according to his size and 
stature, without regard to outside effect. There were 
