Below this is La Roque, whence Roquesaltes may be visited, and the Rajol, extraordinary groups of rocks little less curious than those of Montpellier le Vieux, that are also reached from the valley of the Dourbie. But these I have described elsewhere, and I am not so garrulous that I care to repeat myself. FOOTNOTE: [12] Martel: _Les Cévennes_. Paris, 1891. CHAPTER XVI THE LAND OF FERDINAND FABRE Ferdinand Fabre—His novels—Biography—The uncle—Discouragement—Les Courbezon—Bédarieux—Ruined by a strike—Hérault—The Population—Iberians—Ligurians—Umbranici—The Gauls—Chestnuts—The Beaters—Ballad of the Chestnut-tree—The Séchoire—Fêtes in Hérault—Carotat at Béziers—Pepezuc—The Ass of Gignac—Roquefort Cheese—Le Bousquet d'Orbe—Lamalou—N. Dame de Capimont—Extinction of the hermits—Villemagne—Gorge of the Héric—S. Gervais—The church spire—The inhabitants of the Highland and of the Lowland—The Pillard. The number of readers of the novels of Ferdinand Fabre in England is but few, I fear; but those few recognise in him one of the most graceful and delightful of writers. His novels may be divided into two categories: those that deal with his reminiscences of early life in the Cévennes about Bédarieux, and those in which he combats the intrigues of the Jesuits, "they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins"; or who meddle with and thwart the good work of the simple country and town curés, acting as spies for Rome on the bishops and the parochial clergy. To the first class belong—I mention only the best—_Les Courbezon_, _Julien Savignac_, _Mon Oncle Célestin_, _Barnabé_, _Monsieur Jean_, and _Xavière_. To the latter a series—_La Paroisse du Jugement Dernier_, _Le Calvaire de Mme. Fuster_, _Le Couvent de la Falosque Bergonnier_, _L'Hospice des Enfants Assistés_; and the purely clerical romances, _Lucifer_ and _l'Abbé Tigranne_.