"Sheathe your weapons!" said he.

And forthwith, feeling themselves bound to obey him, the five
remaining sons of the dragon's teeth made him a military salute
with their swords, returned them to the scabbards, and stood
before Cadmus in a rank, eyeing him as soldiers eye their
captain, while awaiting the word of command.

These five men had probably sprung from the biggest of the
dragon's teeth, and were the boldest and strongest of the whole
army. They were almost giants indeed, and had good need to be
so, else they never could have lived through so terrible a
fight. They still had a very furious look, and, if Cadmus
happened to glance aside, would glare at one another, with fire
flashing out of their eyes. It was strange, too, to observe how
the earth, out of which they had so lately grown, was
incrusted, here and there, on their bright breastplates, and
even, begrimed their faces; just as you may have seen it
clinging to beets and carrots, when pulled out of their native
soil. Cadmus hardly knew whether to consider them as men, or
some odd kind of vegetable; although, on the whole, he
concluded that there was human nature in them, because they
were so fond of trumpets and weapons, and so ready to shed
blood.

They looked him earnestly in the face, waiting for his next
order, and evidently desiring no other employment than to
follow him from one battlefield to another, all over the wide
world. But Cadmus was wiser than these earth-born creatures,