The Naturalist And The Anemone (III)

For several weeks the naturalist swam to the anemones, studied them and tested them on his ship.
The first time one stung him it shocked him; the little arms were worse than hornets.
He ground up the stinging cells, made them into pastes and powders, and tested them on every ailment he could find among the crew. Daily the compounds showed new aspects, new hopes, and daily they disappointed, sometimes disastrously.
The evidence of the anemone’s uselessness grew in his mind, yet each time he swam down to one he became spellbound, as if experiencing it for the first time.