ACEOSS THE CAPE. 
125 
level of the upland being about the same everywhere. 
Even from the Atlantic side we overlooked the Bay, and 
saw to Manomet Point in Plymouth, and better from 
that side because it was the highest. The almost univer¬ 
sal bareness and smoothness of the landscape were as 
agreeable as novel, making it so much the more like the 
deck of a vessel. We saw vessels sailing south into the 
Bay, on the one hand, and north along the Atlantic 
shore, on the other, all with an aft wind. 
The single road which runs lengthwise the Cape, now 
winding over the plain, now through the shrubbery 
which scrapes the wheels of the stage, was a mere cart- 
track in the sand, commonly without any fences to con¬ 
fine it, and continually changing from this side to that, to 
harder ground, or sometimes to avoid the tide. But the 
inhabitants travel the waste here and there pilgrim-wise 
and staff in hand, by narrow footpaths, through which 
the sand flows out and reveals the nakedness of the land. 
We shuddered at the thought of living there and taking 
our afternoon walks over those barren swells, where we 
could overlook every step of our walk before taking it, 
and would have to pray for a fog or a snow-storm to 
conceal our destiny. The walker there must soon eat 
his heart. 
In the north part of the town there is no house from 
shore to shore for several miles, and it is as wild and soli¬ 
tary as the Western Prairies — used to be. Indeed, one 
who has seen every house in Truro will be surprised to 
hear of the number of the inhabitants, but perhaps five 
hundred of the men and boys of this small town were 
then abroad on their fishing-grounds. Only a few men 
slay at home to till the sand or watch for blackfish. 
The farmers are fishermen-farmers and understand better 
