Standing here, I felt as if I had not lived in vain. I was as near Europe as my legs would carry me, at the extreme of this withered arm with a town in the hollow of its hand. You seem to have invaded the domain of old Neptune, and plucked him by the very beard. For centuries the storms have beaten upon this narrow strip of sand, behind which the commerce of a State lies intrenched. The assault is unflagging, the defense obstinate. Fresh columns are always forming outside for the attack, and the roll of ocean is forever beating the charge. Yet the Cape stands fast, and will not budge. It is as if it should say, "After me the Deluge." [Illustration: A "SUNFISH."] FOOTNOTES: [214] There is a well-defined line of demarkation between the almost uninterrupted rock wall of the north coast and the sand, which, beginning in the Old Colony, in Scituate, constitutes Cape Cod; and, if we consider Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Long Island as having at some period formed the exterior shores, the almost unbroken belt of sand continues to Florida. This line is so little imaginary that it is plain to see where granite gives place to sand; and it is sufficiently curious to arrest the attention even of the unscientific explorer. [215] "Lequel nous nommâmes C. Blanc pour ce que c'estoient sables et dunes qui paroissent ainsi." [216] Named by Captain Gosnold, on account of the expressed fears of one of his company. [217] Being the 21st of November, it would fall quite near to the day usually set apart for Thanksgiving in New England, which is merely an arbitrary observance, commemorative of no particular occurrence. [218] One of De Monts's men ("_un charpentier Maloin_") was killed here in 1605 by the natives. In attempting to recover a kettle one of them had stolen, he was transfixed with arrows. [219] Lescarbot adds that the natives, turning their backs to the vessel, threw the sand with both hands toward them from between their buttocks, in derision, yelling like wolves. [220] Hubbard relates a terrific storm here. See "New England," p. 644. In 1813 there was a naval engagement at Provincetown. [221] General Knox was interested in this project. Lemuel Cox, the celebrated bridge architect, was engaged in cutting it. [222] Champlain confirms this. [223] Prior was personally acceptable to Louis XIV., who gave him a diamond box with his portrait. He was also well known to Boileau. [224] Captain David Smith and Captain Gamaliel Collins. [225] In old times a decoction of checker-berry leaves was given to lambs poisoned by eating the young leaves of the laurel in spring. [226] There is an authentic account of ice being found here on the 4th of July, 1741.