Dark was the night and fearful the atmosphere. It rained from time to time. At intervals of peals of thunder were heard the howls of jackals and eerie laughter of ghosts.
But King Vikram did not swerve. He climbed the ancient tree once again and brought the corpse down. As soon as he began crossing the desolate cremation ground with the corpse lying astride on his shoulder, the vampire that possessed the corpse spoke, “O King, I do not know if it is for hitting upon some hidden treasure that you are performing a certain rite. But you ought to know that there are instances of people turning their back to the call of such treasures. Let me narrate an incident to you. Pay attention to it. That ought to bring you some relief."
The vampire went on: In days gone by, there lived a poor man in a village bordering a forest. He had three grown-up daughters. The poor man and his wife were much worried because they knew that they would need a lot of money for performing the marriage of the girls and they hardly had any.
“You had once been a soldier in the king’s army. It was while fighting for the king that you were wounded and you had to retire from army service. If you go and explain your difficulties to the king, he will certainly help you," the man’s wife reminded him. The man found the advice quite sensible. He knew the king to be generous and kind. He proceeded to the capital of the kingdom, on the other side of the forest.
As a former soldier, it was not difficult for him to get an audience with the king. He requested for financial support from the king. But the king said, “I’d have surely helped you in the normal circumstances. But we are quite bothered about the flood that has devastated fifty villages in the northern part of the kingdom. It was only yesterday that I announced that no alms, donations, or contributions be given to anybody until the marooned villagers had been completely resettled. I cannot act against my own policy! My treasury does not have enough wealth to meet this exigency."
