riggens was out on the starboard wing of the signal bridge with a cup of coffee when you got up there and he said to look up and you looked up and there in the pitch black sky from one side up across the night there were stars like you never even saw them before , growing up in one bright glowing stream and when you looked up into the mast with the wet signal flags flopping and the boat leaning a little to the left and right it looked like the rigging could sweep them down into the smooth water swishing past the hull .