PROVINCETOWN. 
235 
enough black earth in Provincetown to fill a fiower-pot, 
unless in the swamps. They found it all wooded with 
oaks, pines, sassafras, juniper, birch, holly, vines, some 
ash, walnut; the wood for the most part open and with¬ 
out underwood, fit either to go or ride in.” We saw 
scarcely anything high enough to be called a tree, except 
a little low wood at the east end of the town, and the 
few ornamental trees in its yards, — only a few small 
specimens of some of the above kinds on the sand-hills 
in the rear; but it was all thick shrubbery, without any 
large wood above it, very unfit either to go or ride in. 
The greater part of the land was a perfect desert of 
yellow sand, rippled like waves by the wind, in which 
only a little Beach-grass grew here and there. They 
say that, just after passing the head of East Harbor 
Creek, the boughs and bushes “ tore ” their “ very armor 
in pieces ” (the same thing happened to such armor as 
we wore, when out of curiosity we took to the bushes) ; 
or they came to deep valleys, “ full of brush, wood-gaile, 
and long grass,” and “ found springs of fresh water.” 
For the most part we saw neither bough nor bush, not 
jso much as a shrub to tear our clothes against if we 
would, and a sheep would lose none of its fleece, even 
if it found herbage enough to make fleece grow there. 
We saw rather beach and poverty-grass, and merely 
sorrel enough to color the surface. I suppose, then, by 
Wood-gaile they mean the Bayberry. 
All accounts agree in affirming that this part of the 
Cape was comparatively well wooded a century ago. 
But notwithstanding the great changes which have taken 
place in these respects, I cannot but think that we must 
make some allowance for the greenness of the Pilgrims 
in these matters, which caused them to see green. We 
