She was sure that Frank must be more seriously hurt than he had said, or he would have had himself taken off to the yacht instead of to the surgeon's.

The shaky and almost illegible handwriting showed the difficulty he must have had in holding the pencil.
The boat made its way through the fleet till it reached the shallow water which they had to cross on their way to the shore.

Here, with the exception of a few small craft, the water was clear of yachts.
Suddenly the long line of lights along the shore disappeared, and something thick, heavy and soft fell over Bertha's head.

An arm was thrown round her, and Anna pressed tightly against her.

In vain she struggled.