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the ruins and the waste are a few squalid villages, one of which, as has been said, is still called Penmarc'h.

very desolate region.

It is a

There are still six churches. St. Nonna is the largest; but the ruined church oí Kérity, Ste. Thumette, and the chapel of St. Guenolé are the most interesting; both at this church and St. Nonna ships are carved on the exterior of the building. Ste. Thumette was one of the companions of St. Ursula, and this church is said to have belonged to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem. But the ruined city of Penmarc'h has not the terrible interest possessed by the Torche, or Horse-Head Rock, in the estuary of the Torche, on which so many lives have been sacrificed to the fury of the sea. The air is filled with thunder as the waves fling themselves against the rocks, jagged and terrible, but at no great height above the sea.

Cambry waited to see this coast till the moment of a violent storm. He says, "Nothing that I have seen in the course of long voyages ever gave me an idea of what the ocean is, striking on the rocks of Penmarc'h. These black separated rocks seem to reach as far as eye can see; thick clouds of mist roll rapidly across the sky, which appears to mingle with the ocean. You see only a gloomy fog and enormous flakes of foam. Suddenly these flakes rise—they leap into the air with a deafening roar-earth seems to tremble. You turn mechanically to escape; a giddiness, a terror, an inexplicable horror, overwhelm you; the leaping waves threaten to swallow all before them; you are only reassured when they fall on the shore and die away at your feet."

But the cross on the Torche of Penmarc'h is a warning

against the treachery of this tremendous ocean, even when there is no storm to excite its fury. This rock is separated from land by a passage called Le Saut du Moine, because St. Viaud sprang from the rock on to firm land when he landed from Ireland. It is said to be the entrance of the sea into this passage which causes the noise heard sometimes even a few miles from Quimper. The cross was erected to commemorate a sad event which took place here a few years ago. A lady and her children were sitting on the rock, quite unconscious of the rapid advance of the tide. Suddenly the husband, who had remained on land, called to them to return, but it was too late. A huge wave broke over the rock, and swept away his wife and children before the unhappy man's eyes.

The range of rocks reaches from the channel in which the Torche stands to the point of Penmarc'h. It is impossible to imagine anything more forlorn and desolate than the whole aspect of Penmarc'h. It seems as if a city had tried to exist here and had given up in sheer despair, for it does not appear that the ruined Penmarc'h dates beyond the fourteenth century. The savage thunder of the storm against the Torche must have been enough to deafen the inhabitants.

It is about a twenty-miles drive from Pont l'Abbé to Pont Croix; but we were advised to go to Audierne from Quimper, by way of Landudec and Plozevet, returning to Quimper by Pont Croix; however, as we wished to end. our journey at Douarnenez and we heard that the Plozevet road was a bad one, we took our places in the Audierne diligence, which leaves Quimper, or rather which is said to leave Quimper, at half-past two o'clock.

FINISTÈRE.

THE WEST COAST OF BRITTANY.

CHAPTER XX.

Audierne-Pointe du Raz-Pont Croix.

WAITING on the Cathedral Place, we found a very

small vehicle, into which came two tall Sisters, dressed in enormous white flannel gowns, a girl, and a stout, very talkative French gentleman, who told us he expected to get quite a new sensation from the contemplation of the ocean at Audierne.

The road mounted considerably on leaving Quimper. Between the city and Plonéis is the Château of Prat-en-Ras, rebuilt at the end of the eighteenth century, but which was an ancient appanage of the descendants of the Wild Boar of Ardennes. The lord of this château levied a tribute of one egg each Easter on every household on his domain. At Guengat, about two miles off the road, is a curious and ancient church. There was also a strong castle of Guengat, of which only a few ruins remain. The name of the lords of Guengat occurs frequently in Breton history.

About thirteen miles from Quimper the road divides into three; those on the right lead, one to Douarnenez, and the

other to Ploare. We had for some time seen the graceful spire of this church high above the road on the right. On the left is the road to Audierne beneath a steep ridge of hills. Just here is a sort of estuary or river, called Poul David, or, as it was once called, Poul Dahut. Tradition says that this is the spot where King Gradlon's daughter, the wicked Princess Dahut, was swallowed up by the waves, which at once retreated towards the sea. The river is so wide, that looking on towards Douarnenez we saw the masts of large vessels lying at anchor.

We walked on along the road on the left towards Audierne, while the diligence went on to Douarnenez with the passengers. As we looked back the beautiful spire of Ploaré was very prominent; it is visible for miles. We passed the village of Poul David, and the diligence overtook us just as we came to a wild stretch of country, chiefly landes, sometimes bare, sometimes covered with furze and heather, with every now and then a single fir-tree. About six miles from this we passed through Confort, and then through Pont Croix. If we had not determined to drive back from Audierne to Douarnenez we should much have regretted being in the diligence, for both these churches looked interesting, especially that of Pont Croix.

A little while before we reached Audierne, through a fringe of tall pine-trees on the right, which borders the rocky road, we got a most exquisite view of the blue river. This was certainly the loveliest bit of scenery we saw in Brittany, first on the right, then on the left of the road. Clouds of light moving vapour obscured the tops of the hills, which are here sometimes wooded, sometimes of rich dark brown rock; and as the road followed the curves

BAY OF AUDIERNE.

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of the river the scene seemed to change every moment, the light ever-moving vapours giving a most poetic aspect to the view.

The river widened as we drew nearer to Audierne, but the hills, first on one side and then on the other, advance so boldly, that it was not till we reached Audierne, at nearly seven o'clock, that we saw the sea glimmering beyond. As the town is built beside the river, it is necessary to go to the end of the harbour to get a full view of the broad dangerous bay, extending from Penmarc'h on the south to the Pointe du Raz on the north. On a rock near the harbour two crows are said to be often seen-the embodied spirits of King Gradlon and his daughter Dahut. The modern pier and sea-wall have doubtless taken from the wildness of the scene; but still this savage bay is one of the most weird spots in Brittany-so utterly lonely and deserted, so full of terrible memories and legendary tales.

After dinner we went down to the pier. It is built on a mass of stone or rock, once called the Cammer, and said to be the southern end of those foundations of the city of Is which reach beyond the Pointe du Raz. Farther south is the bank of pebbles at Plovan, famous some years ago as the scene of shipwrecks; for this terrible bay is strown with hidden rocks, which cause destruction to any ship that ventures too near its frightful coast.

Cambry tells us that so late as the beginning of the century frightful scenes of wrecking took place at Plovan. The inhabitants of this village, having beaten back the soldiers sent to protect a wrecked vessel, flew on it, plundered it of everything, and then, having drunk all the liquor they could find, broke open and swallowed the

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