A squat laundress coming up the lane staggered as she saw the body on the stones and Kharl and his cudgel, then put up her hand to straighten the basket balanced on her head before crossing the lane away from the dead man and Kharl.

To take back to my mistress I sketched pictures of the long lines of naked black slaves, their wet skins gleaming in the sunlight, toiling up the hillside, each with a heavy basket balanced on his head.

She comes, Ruth said, dipping his wing so that Jaxom could see the girl emerging from the hold, walking in the direction of the river, a basket balanced on one shoulder.

A Jamaican woman, basket balanced on her head, hurried past.

The man wore a dark-coloured smock, and he had a large basket balanced on one shoulder.

An attractive woman with long black hair who had been carrying a basket balanced on her head stopped in her tracks when she saw Kip; when she had regained her composure she continued on, moving away toward one of the houses.

Three young Pemón porters who speak no English carry most of the gear in woven baskets balanced with a head strap.

Women in traditional dress stroll the paths, baskets balanced on their heads, selling bread, pineapples, eggs and - in the case of one - local chocolate.

There she put Heard, who was a small man, in the basket and calmly sauntered pass the guard with him in the basket balanced on her head.

Around 11:30, a small army of servants filed down the steep path with handwoven baskets balanced on their heads.