so one night of heavy seas you end up on the signal bridge on top of the whole ship , one deck above the pilothouse on the narrow balcony that leans out over the water with signal lights shrouded in canvas and double-barreled big eye spotting scopes swinging softly in their mounts and you see the ships lights are all below you and how they light the bottom halves of the masts and the rigging in yellow and hear the wind humming through the halyards and the signal flags flopping wetly in the mist , and see the stars above shining shone through the ragged scudding clouds like headlights far away on a wet foggy highway .