Chapter V

Every day I learned something on the planet, on departure, on the journey. It came very gently, at the chance of reflections. Thus, on the third day, I knew the drama of the baobabs.

This time again it was thanks to the sheep, for suddenly the little prince interrogated me, as if caught in a serious doubt:

"It is true, is it not, that sheep eat the shrubs?"

- Yes. That is true.

"Ah! I am happy ! "

I did not understand why it was so important that the sheep ate the shrubs. But the little prince added:

"So they also eat the baobabs?" "

I remarked to the little prince that the baobab trees are not shrubs, but trees as large as churches, and that even if they carried with them a whole herd of elephants, this flock would not be able to overcome a single baobab .

The idea of the herd of elephants made the little prince laugh:

"We should put them on top of each other ..."

But he remarked wisely:

"The baobabs, before growing, it starts off being small.

- That's right ! But why do you want your sheep to eat the little baobabs? "

He replied, "Well! Come on! "As it was obvious. And it took me a great effort of intelligence to understand to myself this problem.

And indeed, on the planet of the little prince, there was, as on all the planets, good grasses and weeds. Therefore good seeds of good weeds and bad seeds of weeds. But the seeds are invisible. They sleep in the secret of the earth until it takes fancy for one of them to wake up. Then she stretched herself, and at first shoved timidly toward the sun a ravishing little harmless little twig. If it is a twig of radish or rose bush, you can let it grow as it wants. But if it is a bad plant, it is necessary to tear the plant immediately, as soon as it is known to recognize it. Now there were terrible seeds on the planet of the little prince ... these were the seeds of baobabs. The soil of the planet was infested. Now a baobab, if one takes it too late, one can never get rid of it any more. It encumbers the whole planet. He perforing her with his roots. And if the planet is too small, and if the baobabs are too numerous, they make it burst.

"It's a matter of discipline," the little prince later told me. When you have finished your morning toilet, you have to do the toilet of the planet carefully. It is necessary to regularly bite the baobabs as soon as they are distinguished from the roses to which they resemble very much when they are very young. It's a very boring job, but very easy. "

And one day he advised me to apply myself to a beautiful drawing, in order to bring it into the heads of the children of my house. "If they travel one day," he said to me, "that could serve them. It is sometimes inconvenient to postpone his work. But if it is a question of the baobabs, it is always a catastrophe. I knew a planet, inhabited by a lazy. He had neglected three shrubs ... "

And, on the instructions of the little prince, I drew this planet. I do not like to take the tone of a moralist. But the danger of the baobabs is so little known, and the risks run by the one wandering in an asteroid are so considerable, that for once I am an exception to my reserve. I said, "Children! Pay attention to the baobabs! It was to warn my friends of the danger that they had been for a long time, like myself, without knowing it, that I had worked so much on this drawing. The lesson I gave was worth it. You may wonder: Why are there not other drawings in this book as grandiose as the drawing of the baobabs? The answer is very simple: I tried but I could not succeed. When I drew the baobabs I was animated by the feeling of urgency.