Dragons' Teeth

The use of dragon's teeth provides a simple method of expanding the armed forces of any country. It was first practised by Cadmus, King of Thebes.

First, prepare a piece of ground as though for, sowing grain. (It is not necessary to plough it with two fire-breathing oxen with brazen hooves, as Jason obliged to do.) Next, catch and kill any convenient dragon and draw all its teeth. Sow these in the furrows you have prepared, cover lightly, and stand well away.

The first signs of growth are spear tips sprouting through the soil. These rise quickly on the spear shafts and are followed by the crests of bronze helmets. As soon as these are clear of the ground, one may see the fierce weatherbeaten features of veteran warriors, who bellow savage war cries as soon as their lips are clear of siol. The bodies of these warriors, clad in bronze armour and armed with swords and shields as well as the spears which first appeared, then emerge rapidly from the earth and stand in ranks according to the way in which the dragon's teeth were sown.

Unfortunately these products of the earth (botanically known as Sparti) are such violent combatants that they will turn upon each other if no other enemy is available. When Cadmus sowed dragon's teeth, the resulting Sparti fought so savagely that only five of them survived. When Jason sowed the remainder of the teeth collected by Cadmus, the Sparti would have turned on him if he had not had the presence of mind to throw a stone at one of them. It bounced off his armour onto a neighbouring warrior, so each blamed the other for the insult. The Sparti quickly chose sides, and all killed each other in the subsequent affray.

The sower of dragon's teeth must therefore take the necessary precautions to control the Sparti as soon as they appear. Apart from this disadvantage the Sparti provide a quick cheap crop, and large numbers have been produced recently in various parts of the world.