 On earth there were111 kings ... 7000 geographers, 900,000 businessmen, 7,500,000 tipplers, 311,000,000 conceited men; that is to say, about 2,000,000,000 grown-ups.Since the prince landed in a desert, he believed that Earth was uninhabited.He then met a yellow snake that claimed to have the power to return him to his home, if he ever wished to return.The prince next met a desert flower, who told him that she had only seen a handful of men in this part of the world and that they had no roots, letting the wind blow them around and living hard lives.