By Royal Mail steamer the next move was to La Guayra, the seaport of Caracas, a most romantic-looking place, where the mountains, some 9000 feet high, descend almost precipitously to the sea.

There we saw the castle where Kingsley's Rose of Devon was imprisoned.

At that time President Castro was so defying France that war and a French fleet were expected every day.

Consequently his orders were that no one whomsoever should be allowed to enter the country.

All the passengers of course, and for that very reason perhaps, were hoping to be allowed to land, if only to make the short run up to the capital and back.