From the Atlantic at Bayonne to the Mediterranean at Port Bou, the mountain chain divides its valleys and ridges with the regularity of a wall-trained shrub or pear-tree, and sinks on both sides to the level plains of France and Spain. In the midst of this rises the river Garonne. Its true source is in the Piedrafitta group of peaks, whence its waters flow on through Toulouse, various tributaries combining to give finally to Bordeaux its commanding situation and importance. Around its source, which is the true centre of the Pyrenees, is the parting line between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. On one side the waters flow down through the fields of France to the Biscayan Bay, and on the other southward and westward through the Iberian peninsula. Few of the summits exceed the height of the ridge by more than two thousand feet; whereas in the Alps many rise from six to eight thousand feet above the _massif_, while scenic Mont Blanc elevates its head over fifteen thousand feet. As a barrier, the Pyrenees chain is unique. For over one hundred and eighty miles, from the Col de la Perche to Maya--practically a suburb of Bayonne--not a carriage road nor a railway crosses the range. The etymology of the name of this mountain chain is in dispute. Many suppose it to be from the Greek _pur_ (fire), alluding to the volcanic origin of the peaks. This is endorsed by many, while others consider that it comes from the Celtic word _byren_, meaning a mountain. Both derivations are certainly apropos, but the weight of favour must always lie with the former rather than the latter. The ancient province of Béarn is essentially mediæval to-day. Its local tongue is a pure Romance language; something quite distinct from mere _patois_. It is principally thought to be a compound of Latin and Teutonic with an admixture of Arabic. This seems involved, but, as it is unlike modern French, or Castilian, and modern everything else, it would seem difficult for any but an expert student of tongues to place it definitely. To most of us it appears to be but a jarring jumble of words, which may have been left behind by the followers of the various conquerors which at one time or another swept over the land. II ST. ANDRÉ DE BORDEAUX "One finds here reminders of the Visigoths, the Franks, the Saracens, and the English; and the temples, theatres, arenas, and monuments by which each made his mark of possession yet remain." --AURELIAN SCHOLL. Taine in his _Carnets de Voyage_ says of Bordeaux: "It is a sort of second Paris, gay and magnificent ... amusement is the main business." Bordeaux does not change. It has ever been advanced, and always a centre of gaiety. Its fêtes and functions quite rival those of the capital itself,--at times,--and its opera-house is the most famed and magnificent in France, outside of Paris.