a ferryman at last brought his boat up to the dock ; the crossing they accomplished in silence , only the wood-creak and the dipping oars to break it , lopsided and unsteady strokes , the ferryman wheezing , and the water rippling up against the side of the boat ; on the far bank the mosques shone from within , candle-light through the stained-glass windows : all the smooth domes together like an archipelago in the dark , and the monumental glory of the haghia sophia above them .