"The leader of a gang of coffee-carriers has a rattle in his hand, and keeps time with it for his followers. They step to the music, and aid it by a low, monotonous chant, in words quite unintelligible to our ears. Sometimes the rattle gives place to a small flag, which is waved in unison with the step; the men who propel carts or trucks have no use for flags or rattles, though sometimes they stick a flag in front of the vehicle as an indication of ownership. [Illustration: PEDLERS OF DRY-GOODS.] "All things considered, I have never seen a city where so many things were carried on the head as in Rio Janeiro. Pedlers of dry-goods go from house to house, followed by negroes bearing boxes or bales of the finery which they offer for sale; the practice saves the ladies the trouble of going to the shops when they want to buy anything, and enables the dealers to work off a great many things that would not be easy to dispose of otherwise. Before we had fairly landed at the hotel we were besieged by pedlers, and forcibly reminded of our experience at Singapore, Calcutta, and other cities of Asia. [Illustration: POULTRY DEALER.] "Fruit and poultry are borne on the heads of the market men and women, the former in open baskets and the latter in covered ones. We met a poultry dealer with a huge basket on his head, and at least a dozen chickens were craning their necks out of the spaces between the slats. He was farther weighted with a goose and a couple of turkeys swinging at his side, and I have no doubt he would have added another dozen of chickens without hesitation. [Illustration: FRUIT VENDER.] "Water-carriers balance casks and buckets on their heads; cooks, chambermaids, and servants of all kinds and descriptions follow the universal custom; and it would be interesting to know what Mr. Darwin thinks of the development of species under such circumstances. The skull of the Brazilian porter a thousand years hence ought to be not less than an inch in thickness, and have a resisting power equal to that of a mortar shell. "Sedan chairs abound, but they are less numerous than formerly, as a good many people now indulge in carriages who once relied upon chairs for their locomotion. They are of the same model as the chairs of Bahia, and the bearers have a kindred complexion and dress. For public conveyances there are carriages, omnibuses, and street cars; the street railways of Rio Janeiro are patronized by everybody, and it is said that the original company has made a dividend of three hundred per cent. every year on the amount of capital invested! The concession was obtained by some New-Yorkers, and the Brazilians have been much chagrined at the ease with which they allowed the foreigners to take possession of such an excellent bonanza as this. "The omnibus is here called a gondola, and we have been told how the name originated. It may not be true, but you know the old Italian proverb, '_Si non é vero é ben trovato._'