Figureheads

"You never see a decent figure'ead —
Not now," Bill said,
"A fiddlin' bit o' scroll-work at the bow
That's the most now . . .
But Lord! I've seen some beauties, more'n a few,
An' some rare rum uns, too.

"Folks in all sorts o' queer old-fashioned rigs —
Fellers in wigs —
Chaps in cocked 'ats an' 'elmets — lords an' dukes —
Folks out o' books —
Niggers in turbans — mandarins an' Moors —
An' 'eathen gods by scores.

"An' women in all kinds o' fancy dresses —
Queens an' princesses —
Witches on broomsticks, too — an' spankin' girls
With streamin' curls —
An' dragons, an' sea-serpents — Lord knows what
I've seen an' what I've not.

"An' some's in breakers' yards, bleached bare with time
An' thick with grime;
An' some stuck up in gardens here an' there
With plants for 'air;
An' no one left as knows but chaps like me
How fine with paint and gold they used to be
In them old days at sea."