of an Orchid Hi \ 27 



some points where a more than ordinary splinter of 

 rock comes in the way, a pigeon-hole had been drilled 

 through the hard stone and left without any super- 

 fluous padding of brickwork, and so the scenery and 

 the structure of the railway continue all the way to 

 Caracas — so admirable, in fact, that no visitor who 

 comes to La Guayra should miss the sight. On 

 arriving at Caracas we were prepared to feast our 

 eyes on the usual incongruous collection of tumble- 

 down mud huts so peculiar to these parts of South 

 America, and the reader can imagine our agreeable 

 surprise when we steamed proudly into a smart little 

 station of quite European pretensions, with clean 

 cemented platforms ornamented with flowers and 

 creeping plants, and thronged by an aristocratic class 

 of people who appeared by their dress, at least, to be 

 fresh arrivals from Paris. On leaving the station a 

 pretty church of elegant design, built on a slight 

 elevation, attracts the attention of the sightseer bv 

 its spotless white towers. Five minutes' ride in a 

 tramcar brings us to the laroe commodious houses and 

 wide streets of the principal part of the town. The 

 largest square, ox plaza, although somewhat small and 

 cramped in comparison with the size of the buildings 

 surrounding it, is gay with flowers, and two large 

 splashing fountains in the gardens of the municipal 

 buildings do their best to give the place an air of 



