[Illustration: DAX.]

Orthez [Footnote: See Appendix.] (120-3/4 miles) is of historic
interest and possesses some noteworthy remains. M. Doré has
represented the Tour de Moncade, built in 1240, with mediaeval
surroundings, and not quite as it may be seen now. It was the scene
of many of Gaston Phoebus' greatest crimes. The old fourteenth-
century bridge over the river, with its central tower, could tell
some tales too, if we could discover "sermons in stones"; and the
plain below the town was the scene of one of Wellington's many
victories in 1814.

Two coaches start from Orthez, one to Salies (10 miles), celebrated
for its salt springs, and the other to Mauléon-Licharre, a
picturesque spot where fine views, cascades, and ruins abound.

[Illustration: THE TOWER OF MONCADE, ORTHEZ.]

Passing the ancient town of Lescar (140-1/2 miles)--of which we
shall have more to say later--the train is soon drawn up in the
station of Pau, and directly the traveller shows his face outside,
he is hailed by the "cochers" from the various hotels in a
bewildering chorus. This is the same, _more_ or _less_, at every
French town where English people congregate, and Pau only inclines,
if anything, towards the "_more_."

The first impression conveyed when leaving the station and passing
along the Avenue de la Gare, is, that the town is mainly composed
of the castle and magnificent hotels which tower above the station.
This, to a certain extent, is correct, for they occupy a large