Most of the numerous cascades in the neighbourhood—­thanks to the engineering of the “Empress’s Walk” and the road to Argeles—­are in easy walking distance for most people, even invalids; those usually visited being the Cascade des Eaux Bonnes, de Discoo, du Gros-Hetre and du Serpent; the Cascade de Larsessec (33/4 miles) requires some fatigue to reach.

The road leading from the river back to the Hotel de France passes between two walls of rock against which the houses are built.  This passage has been made by blasting the solid rock, and it seemed that the work had been one of no small difficulty.

All great excursions were denied us, as neither the Pic de Ger nor the fatiguing Pic de Gabizos were sufficiently free from snow; while the road to Argeles still remained broken down in three places, and it seemed as though July would disappear ere the terrible gaps made by the avalanches could be built up anew.

We started for Eaux Chaudes in the cool of the afternoon, anticipating a pleasant drive, and were very far from being disappointed.  After retraversing the road to the branching point above Laruns—­near which the fields and banks were rich in gentians, violets, scabii, linariae, and columbines—­we seemed suddenly to plunge into the Gorge de Hourat.  There can be little doubt that there is no truer specimen of a gorge in the Pyrenees than this.  The piled-up crags overgrown with heather, and the splendid pastures above on the hill-tops, seen in the Cauterets Gorge, were missing; so, too, the varied tints and softer landscape bits of the St. Sauveur defile were absent; but here the masses of rock rose straight up on either side, at times seemingly ambitious to hide their summits in the clouds; while the roar of the torrent issuing from the Hourat (or Trou, i.e. hole) above which the road passes, only served to heighten the grand effect of the scene.

Just after the narrowest part is passed, a small chapel may be noticed high above the river on the right.  It marks the scene of a frightful accident.  The old road, which was in use till 1849, passed by the spot, and a heavily-laden diligence full of passengers overturned—­through the horses taking fright, it is said—­and the whole complement were dashed over the rocks into the torrent below.  The chapel has since been erected, but though the old road still exists, and, in fact, joins the new one at the Pont Crabe—­which beautiful place is admirably depicted in the sketch—­there is little danger of such an accident occurring again.

A little further on—­viz. about two miles from Eaux Chaudes—­we noticed below us as charming a subject as any painter could wish for.  A small plot of velvet-like green-sward beside the rushing river; some trees, leafy almost to extravagance, gracefully arched above; a few sheep descending a narrow track on the hillside; and above all, the immense rocky heights, around the base of which beeches and other trees luxuriantly grew, and many beautiful flowers bloomed; and, thus garlanded at their base, their stern and massive summits looked grander still, and completed such a picture of majestic beauty as no lover of nature could fail to enthusiastically admire.