PEOVINCETOWN. 
229 
remained becoming discontented, all together set sail for 
England with a load of sassafras and other commodities, 
on the 18th of June following. 
The next year came Martin Pring, looking for sassa¬ 
fras, and thereafter they began to come thick and fast, 
until long after sassafras had lost its reputation. 
These are the oldest accounts which we have of Cape 
Cod, unless, perchance. Cape Cod is, as some suppose, 
the same with that “ Kial-ar-nes ” or Keel-Cape, on 
which, according to old Icelandic manuscripts, Thorwald, 
son of Eric the Red, after sailing many days southwest 
from Greenland, broke his keel in the year 1004; and 
where, according to another, in some respects less trust¬ 
worthy manuscript, Thor-finn Karlsefue (“ that is, one 
who promises or is destined to be an able or great man ”; 
he is said to have had a son born in New England, from 
whom Thorwaldsen the sculptor was descended), sailing 
past, in the year 1007, with his wife Gudrida, Snorre 
Thorbrandson, Biarne Grinolfson, and Thorhall Garnla- 
son, distinguished Norsemen, in three ships containing 
“ one hundred and sixty men and all sorts of live stock 
(probably the first Norway rats among the rest), having 
the land “ on the right side ” of them, roved ashore,” 
and found “ Or^ceji (trackless deserts),” and “ Strand-ir 
lang-ar oh sand-ar (long narrow beaches and sand-hills),” 
and “ called the Furdu-strand-ir (Wonder-Strands)^ 
because the sailing by them seemed long.” 
According to the Icelandic manuscripts, Thorwald was 
' the first then, — unless possibly one Biarne Heriulfson 
(i. e. son of Heriulf) who had been seized with a great 
desire to travel, sailing from Iceland to Greenland in the 
year 986 to join his father who had migrated thither, for he 
had resolved, says the manuscript, to spend the follow^ 
