ON THE COAST OF ARE AN 93 



back ; but nothing will induce them to enter the 

 water. As they stan<J at the edge, they perform 

 a dance of agony and point to the abhorred 

 Medusae gyrating in the tide. To show my 

 bravery I plunge in myself ; but the dip is no 

 luxury, for I have to keep my eye on the un- 

 canny creatures as they float round me ; and, 

 sometimes, to kick them with my feet. Later 

 in the morning a young fellow gets badly stung, 

 and all sorts of remedies are tried ; but it takes 

 hours to bring him round. Having been once 

 stung myself, I know the sensation and remem- 

 ber it acutely, though it is more than thirty 

 years ago. I shudder as I recall the grasp of 

 the antennae ; the instantaneous injection of the 

 poison ; the slimy touch as I caught the creature 

 in my hand and flung it over the sea ; and then 

 the rubbing of my skin with dry salt, and the 

 incessant pacing up and down my chamber for 

 seven long hours. Only in that way could the 

 virus be got rid of. In my case to sit down 



