An endless stream of people and carriages formed a long dragon that one couldn't see the end of, stretching from the far end of the avenue all the way to its tail. Horses neighed, oxen bellowed, blending with the crying of kids, the turning of carriage wheels, the coughing of the elderly, the cursing of women, and the shouting of men, composing a sonata that was harmonious yet complex, rolling slowly forward along the avenue.