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By

Sir Richard F. Burton

Vikram and the Vampire

Volume - 1

INTRODUCTION

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The sage Bhavabhuti — Eastern teller ofthese tales — after making his initiatoryand propitiatory conge to Ganesha, Lordof Incepts, informs the reader that thisbook is a string of fine pearls to be hunground the neck of human intelligence; afragrant flower to be borne on the tur-band of mental wisdom; a jewel of puregold, which becomes the brow of all su-preme minds; and a handful of pow-

dered rubies, whose tonic effects willappear palpably upon the mental diges-tion of every patient. Finally, that by aidof the lessons inculcated in the followingpages, man will pass happily throughthis world into the state of absorption,where fables will be no longer required.

He then teaches us how Vikramadityathe Brave became King of Ujjayani.

Some nineteen centuries ago, the re-nowned city of Ujjayani witnessed thebirth of a prince to whom was given the

gigantic name Vikramaditya. Even theSanskrit-speaking people, who are notusually pressed for time, shortened it to

"Vikram", and a little further West itwould infallibly have been docked downto "Vik".

Vikram was the second son of an oldking Gandharba-Sena, concerningwhom little favourable has reached pos-

terity, except that he became an ass,married four queens, and had by themsix sons, each of whom was morelearned and powerful than the other. Itso happened that in course of time thefather died. Thereupon his eldest heir,who was known as Shank, succeeded to

the carpet of Rajaship, and was instantlymurdered by Vikram, his "scorpion", thehero of the following pages.

By this act of vigour and manly decision,which all younger- brother princesshould devoutly imitate, Vikram having

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obtained the title of Bir, or the Brave,made himself Raja. He began to rulewell, and the gods so favoured him thatday by day his dominions increased. Atlength he became lord of all India, andhaving firmly established his govern-ment, he instituted an era—an uncom-mon feat for a mere monarch, especiallywhen hereditary.

The steps, says the historian, which hetook to arrive at that pinnacle of gran-deur, were these:

The old King calling his two grandsonsBhartari-hari and Vikramaditya, gavethem good counsel respecting their

future learning. They were told tomaster everything, a certain way not tosucceed in anything. They were dili-gently to learn grammar, the Scriptures,and all the religious sciences. They wereto become familiar with military tactics,international law, and music, the riding

of horses and elephants— especially thelatter—the driving of chariots, and theuse of the broadsword, the bow, and themogdars or Indian clubs. They were or-dered to be skilful in all kinds of games,in leaping and running, in besiegingforts, in forming and breaking bodies oftroops; they were to endeavour to excelin every princely quality, to be cunningin ascertaining the power of an enemy,

how to make war, to perform journeys,to sit in the presence of the nobles, toseparate the different sides of a ques-tion, to form alliances, to distinguish be-tween the innocent and the guilty, toassign proper punishments to thewicked, to exercise authority with per-

fect justice, and to be liberal. The boyswere then sent to school, and wereplaced under the care of excellentteachers, where they became trulyfamous. Whilst under pupilage, theeldest was allowed all the power neces-sary to obtain a knowledge of royal af-

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fairs, and he was not invested with theregal office till in these preparatorysteps he had given full satisfaction to hissubjects, who expressed high approvalof his conduct.

The two brothers often conversed on theduties of kings, when the great Vikrama-ditya gave the great Bhartari-hari thefollowing valuable advice

"As Indra, during the four rainy months,fills the earth with water, so a kingshould replenish his treasury withmoney. As Surya the sun, in warmingthe earth eight months, does not scorchit, so a king, in drawing revenues from

his people, ought not to oppress them.As Vayu, the wind, surrounds and fillseverything, so the king by his officersand spies should become acquaintedwith the affairs and circumstances of hiswhole people. As Yama judges menwithout partiality or prejudice, and pun-

ishes the guilty, so should a king chas-tise, without favour, all offenders. AsVaruna, the regent of water, binds withhis pasha or divine noose his enemies,so let a king bind every malefactorsafely in prison. As Chandra, the moon,by his cheering light gives pleasure toall, thus should a king, by gifts and gen-erosity, make his people happy. And asPrithwi, the earth, sustains all alike, so

should a king feel an equal affection andforbearance towards every one."

Become a monarch, Vikram meditateddeeply upon what is said ofmonarchs:—"A king is fire and air; he isboth sun and moon; he is the god of

criminal justice; he is the genius ofwealth; he is the regent of water; he isthe lord of the firmament; he is a power-ful divinity who appears in humanshape." He reflected with some satisfac-tion that the scriptures had made himabsolute, had left the lives and proper-

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ties of all his subjects to his arbitrarywill, had pronounced him to be an incar-nate deity, and had threatened topunish with death even ideas deroga-tory to his honour.

He punctually observed all the ordi-nances laid down by the author of theNiti, or institutes of government. Hisnight and day were divided into sixteen

pahars or portions, each one hour and ahalf, and they were disposed of as fol-lows:—

Before dawn Vikram was awakened by aservant appointed to this special duty.He swallowed— a thing allowed only to a

khshatriya or warrior— Mithridatic everymorning on the saliva, and he made thecooks taste every dish before he ate ofit. As soon as he had risen, the pages inwaiting repeated his splendid qualities,and as he left his sleeping-room in fulldress, several Brahmans rehearsed the

praises of the gods. Presently hebathed, worshipped his guardian deity,again heard hymns, drank a little water,and saw alms distributed to the poor. Heended this watch by auditing his ac-counts.

Next entering his court, he placed him-self amidst the assembly. He was alwaysarmed when he received strangers, and

he caused even women to be searchedfor concealed weapons. He was sur-rounded by so many spies and so artful,that of a thousand, no two ever told thesame tale. At the levee, on his right sathis relations, the Brahmans, and men ofdistinguished birth. The other castes

were on the left, and close to him stoodthe ministers and those whom he de-lighted to consult. Afar in front gatheredthe bards chanting the praises of thegods and of the king; also the chari-oteers, elephanteers, horsemen, andsoldiers of valour. Amongst the learned

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men in those assemblies there wereever some who were well instructed inall the scriptures, and others who hadstudied in one particular school of phi-losophy, and were acquainted only withthe works on divine wisdom, or withthose on justice, civil and criminal, onthe arts, mineralogy or the practice ofphysic; also persons cunning in all kindsof customs; riding-masters, dancing-

masters, teachers of good behaviour,examiners, tasters, mimics, mounte-banks, and others, who all attended thecourt and awaited the king's commands.He here pronounced judgment in suits ofappeal. His poets wrote about him:

The lord of lone splendour an in-stant suspends His course at mid~noon, ere hewestward descends; And brief are the moments ouryoung monarch knows, Devoted to pleasure or paid to

repose!

Before the second sandhya, or noon,about the beginning of the third watch,he recited the names of the gods,bathed, and broke his fast in his privateroom; then rising from food, he wasamused by singers and dancing girls.

The labours of the day now becamelighter. After eating he retired, repeat-

ing the name of his guardian deity, vis-ited the temples, saluted the gods con-versed with the priests, and proceededto receive and to distribute presents.Fifthly, he discussed political questionswith his ministers and councillors.

On the announcement of the herald thatit was the sixth watch— about 2 or 3P.M.—Vikram allowed himself to followhis own inclinations, to regulate hisfamily, and to transact business of a pri-vate and personal nature.After gaining strength by rest, he pro-

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ceeded to review his troops, examiningthe men, saluting the officers, and hold-ing military councils. At sunset hebathed a third time and performed thefive sacraments of listening to a prelec-tion of the Veda; making oblations to themanes; sacrificing to Fire in honour ofthe deities; giving rice to dumb crea-tures; and receiving guests with dueceremonies. He spent the evening

amidst a select company of wise,learned, and pious men, conversing ondifferent subjects, and reviewing thebusiness of the day.

The night was distributed with equalcare. During the first portion Vikram re-

ceived the reports which his spies andenvoys, dressed in every disguise,brought to him about his enemies.Against the latter he ceased not to usethe five arts, namely—dividing the king-dom, bribes, mischief-making, negotia-tions, and brute-force— especially pre-

ferring the first two and the last. Hisforethought and prudence taught him toregard all his nearest neighbours andtheir allies as hostile. The powersbeyond those natural enemies he con-sidered friendly because they were thefoes of his foes. And all the remoter na-tions he looked upon as neutrals, in atransitional or provisional state as itwere, till they became either his neigh-

bours' neighbours, or his own neigh-bours, that is to say, his friends or hisfoes.

This important duty finished he supped,and at the end of the third watch he re-tired to sleep, which was not allowed to

last beyond three hours. In the sixthwatch he arose and purified himself. Theseventh was devoted to holding privateconsultations with his ministers, and tofurnishing the officers of governmentwith requisite instructions. The eighth orlast watch was spent with the Purohita

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or priest, and with Brahmans, hailing thedawn with its appropriate rites; he thenbathed, made the customary offerings,and prayed in some unfrequented placenear pure water.

And throughout these occupations hebore in mind the duty of kings,namely—to pursue every object till it beaccomplished; to succour all depen-

dents, and hospitably to receive guests,however numerous. He was generous tohis subjects respecting taxes, and kindof speech; yet he was inexorable asdeath in the punishment of offenses. Herarely hunted, and he visited his plea-sure gardens only on stated days. He

acted in his own dominions with justice;he chastised foreign foes with rigour; hebehaved generously to Brahmans, andhe avoided favouritism amongst hisfriends. In war he never slew a suppli-ant, a spectator, a person asleep or un-dressed, or anyone that showed fear.

Whatever country he conquered, offer-ings were presented to its gods, and ef-fects and money were given to the rev-erends. But what benefited him mostwas his attention to the creature com-forts of the nine Gems of Science: thoseeminent men ate and drank themselvesinto fits of enthusiasm, and ended byimmortalizing their patron's name.

Become Vikram the Great he estab-lished his court at a delightful and beau-tiful location rich in the best of water.

The country was difficult of access, andartificially made incapable of supportinga host of invaders, but four great roadsmet near the city. The capital was sur-

rounded with durable ramparts, havinggates of defence, and near it was amountain fortress, under the especialcharge of a great captain.

The metropolis was well garrisoned andprovisioned, and it surrounded the royalpalace, a noble building without as well

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as within. Grandeur seemed embodiedthere, and Prosperity had made it herown. The nearer ground, viewed fromthe terraces and pleasure pavilions, wasa lovely mingling of rock and mountain,plain and valley, field and fallow, crystallake and glittering stream. The banks ofthe winding Lavana were fringed withmeads whose herbage, pearly withmorning dew, afforded choicest grazing

for the sacred cow, and were dottedwith perfumed clumps of Bo-trees,tamarinds, and holy figs: in one placeVikram planted 100,000 in a single or-chard and gave them to his spiritual ad-visers. The river valley separated thestream from a belt of forest growth

which extended to a hill range, dark withimpervious jungle, and cleared here andthere for the cultivator's village. Behindit, rose another sub-range, wooded witha lower bush and already blue with air,whilst in the background towered rangeupon range, here rising abruptly into

points and peaks, there ramp-shaped orwall- formed, with sheer descents, andall of light azure hue adorned with glo-ries of silver and gold.

After reigning for some years, Vikramthe Brave found himself at the age ofthirty, a staid and sober middle-agedman, He had several sons—daughtersare naught in India—by his several

wives, and he had some paternal affec-tion for nearly all—except of course, forhis eldest son, a youth who seemed toconduct himself as though he had aclaim to the succession. In fact, the kingseemed to have taken up his abode forlife at Ujjayani, when suddenly he be-

thought himself, "I must visit thosecountries of whose names I am everhearing." The fact is, he had determinedto spy out in disguise the lands of all hisfoes, and to find the best means ofbringing against them his formidablearmy.

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We now learn how Bhartari Raja be-comes Regent of Ujjayani.

Having thus resolved, Vikram the Bravegave the government into the charge ofa younger brother, Bhartari Raja, and inthe garb of a religious mendicant, ac-companied by Dharma Dhwaj, hissecond son, a youth bordering on theage of puberty, he began to travel from

city to city, and from forest to forest.

The Regent was of a settled melancholicturn of mind, having lost in early youth avery peculiar wife. One day, whilst outhunting, he happened to pass a funeralpyre, upon which a Brahman's widow

had just become Sati (a holy woman)with the greatest fortitude. On his returnhome he related the adventure to SitaRani, his spouse, and she at once madereply that virtuous women die with theirhusbands, killed by the fire of grief, notby the flames of the pile. To prove her

truth the prince, after an affectionatefarewell, rode forth to the chase, andpresently sent back the suite with hisrobes torn and stained, to report his ac-cidental death. Sita perished upon thespot, and the widower remainedinconsolable—for a time.

He led the dullest of lives, and took tohimself sundry spouses, all equally dis-

tinguished for birth, beauty, and mod-esty. Like his brother, he performed allthe proper devoirs of a Raja, risingbefore the day to finish his ablutions, toworship the gods, and to do due obei-sance to the Brahmans. He then as-cended the throne, to judge his people

according to the Shastra, carefully keep-ing in subjection lust, anger, avarice,folly, drunkenness, and pride; preserv-ing himself from being seduced by thelove of gaming and of the chase; re-straining his desire for dancing, singing,and playing on musical instruments, and

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refraining from sleep during daytime,from wine, from molesting men ofworth, from dice, from putting humanbeings to death by artful means, fromuseless travelling, and from holding anyone guilty without the commission of acrime. His levees were in a hall decentlysplendid, and he was distinguished onlyby an umbrella of peacock's feathers; hereceived all complainants, petitioners,

and presenters of offenses with kindlooks and soft words. He united to him-self the seven or eight wise councillors,and the sober and virtuous secretarythat formed the high cabinet of his royalbrother, and they met in some secretlonely spot, as a mountain, a terrace, a

bower or a forest, whence women, par-rots, and other talkative birds were care-fully excluded.And at the end of this useful and some-what laborious day, he retired to his pri-vate apartments, and, after listening tospiritual songs and to soft music, he fell

asleep. Sometimes he would summonhis brother's "Nine Gems of Science,"and give ear to their learned discourses.But it was observed that the viceroy re-served this exercise for nights when hewas troubled with insomnia—the wordsof wisdom being to him an infallibleremedy for that disorder.

Thus passed onwards his youth, doing

nothing that it could desire, forbidden allpleasures because they were un-princely, and working in the palaceharder than in the pauper's hut. Having,however, fortunately for himself, fewpredilections and no imagination, hebegan to pride himself upon being a phi-

losopher. Much business from an earlyage had dulled his wits, which werenever of the most brilliant; and in thesteadily increasing torpidity of his spirit,he traced the germs of that quietudewhich forms the highest happiness ofman in this storm of matter called the

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world. He therefore allowed himself butone friend of his soul. He retained, Ihave said, his brother's seven or eightministers; he was constant in atten-dance upon the Brahman priests who of-ficiated at the palace, and who kept theimpious from touching sacred property;and he was courteous to the command-er-in-chief who directed his warriors, tothe officers of justice who inflicted pun-

ishment upon offenders, and to the lordsof towns, varying in number from one toa thousand. But he placed an intimate ofhis own in the high position of confiden-tial councillor, the ambassador to regu-late war and peace.

Mahi-pala was a person of noble birth,endowed with shining abilities, popular,dexterous in business, acquainted withforeign parts, famed for eloquence andintrepidity, and as Menu the Lawgiveradvises, remarkably handsome.

Bhartari Raja, as I have said, became aquietist and a philosopher. But Kama,the bright god who exerts his sway overthe three worlds, heaven and earth andgrewsome Hades, had marked out theprince once more as the victim of hisblossom- tipped shafts and his flowerybow. How, indeed, could he hope toescape the doom which has fallenequally upon Brahma the Creator,

Vishnu the Preserver, and dreadfulShiva the Three-eyed Destroyer?

By reason of her exceeding beauty, herface was a full moon shining in the clear-est sky; her hair was the purple cloud ofautumn when, gravid with rain, it hangs

low over earth; and her complexionmocked the pale waxen hue of thelarge-flowered jasmine. Her eyes werethose of the timid antelope; her lipswere as red as those of the pomegran-ate's bud, and when they opened, fromthem distilled a fountain of ambrosia.

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Her neck was like a pigeon's; her handthe pink lining of the conch-shell; herwaist a leopard's; her feet the softest lo-tuses. In a word, a model of grace andloveliness was Dangalah Rani, RajaBhartari's last and youngest wife.

The warrior laid down his arms beforeher; the politician spoke out everysecret in her presence. The religious

prince would have slaughtered a cow-that sole unforgivable sin—to save oneof her eyelashes: the absolute kingwould not drink a cup of water withouther permission; the staid philosopher,the sober quietist, to win from her theshadow of a smile, would have danced

before her like a singing-girl. So desper-ately enamoured became Bhartari Raja.It is written, however, that love, alas!breeds not love; and so it happened tothe Regent. The warmth of his affection,instead of animating his wife, annoyedher; his protestations wearied her; his

vows gave her the headache; and his ca-resses were a colic that made her bloodrun cold. Of course, the prince perceivednothing, being lost in wonder and admi-ration of the beauty's coyness and co-quetry. And as women must give awaytheir hearts, whether asked or not, sothe lovely Dangalah Rani lost no time inlavishing all the passion of her idle soulupon Mahi-pala, the handsome ambas-

sador of peace and war. By this meansthe three were happy and were con-tented; their felicity, however, beingbuilt on a rotten foundation, could notlong endure. It soon ended in the follow-ing extraordinary way.

In the city of Ujjayani, within sight of thepalace, dwelt a Brahman and his wife,who, being old and poor, and havingnothing else to do, had applied them-selves to the practice of austere devo-tion. They fasted and refrained fromdrink, they stood on their heads and

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held their arms for weeks in the air; theyprayed till their knees were like pads;they disciplined themselves withscourges of wire; and they walked aboutunclad in the cold season, and insummer they sat within a circle of flam-ing wood, till they became the envy andadmiration of all the plebeian gods thatinhabit the lower heavens. In fine, as areward for their exceeding piety, the

venerable pair received at the hands ofa celestial messenger an apple of thetree Kalpavriksha— a fruit which has thevirtue of conferring eternal life upon himthat tastes it.

Scarcely had the god disappeared, when

the Brahman, opening his toothlessmouth, prepared to eat the fruit of im-mortality. Then his wife addressed himin these words, shedding copious tearsthe while:

"To die, O man, is a passing pain; to be

poor is an interminable anguish. Surelyour present lot is the penalty of somegreat crime committed by us in a paststate of being. Callest thou this statelife? Better we die at once, and soescape the woes of the world!"

Hearing these words, the Brahman satundecided, with open jaws and eyesfixed upon the apple. Presently he found

tongue: "I have accepted the fruit, andhave brought it here; but having heardthy speech, my intellect hath wastedaway; now I will do whatever thou poin-test out."

The wife resumed her discourse, which

had been interrupted by a more thanusually copious flow of tears. "Moreover,O husband, we are old, and what are theenjoyments of the stricken in years?

Truly quoth the poet—

Die loved in youth, not hated in age.

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If that fruit could have restored thydimmed eyes, and deaf ears, andblunted taste, and warmth of love, I hadnot spoken to thee thus."

After which the Brahman threw awaythe apple, to the great joy of his wife,who felt a natural indignation at theprospect of seeing her goodmanbecome immortal, whilst she still re-

mained subject to the laws of death; butshe concealed this motive in the depthsof her thought, enlarging, as women areapt to do, upon everything but the truth.And she spoke with such success, thatthe priest was about to toss in his ragethe heavenly fruit into the fire, re-

proaching the gods as if by sending itthey had done him an injury. Then thewife snatched it out of his hand, and tell-ing him it was too precious to be wasted,bade him arise and gird his loins andwend him to the Regent's palace, andoffer him the fruit—as King Vikram was

absent—with a right reverend brah-manical benediction. She concludedwith impressing upon her unworldly hus-band the necessity of requiring a largesum of money as a return for his inesti-mable gift. "By this means, "she said,"thou mayst promote thy present andfuture welfare."

Then the Brahman went forth, and

standing in the presence of the Raja,told him all things touching the fruit,concluding with "O, mighty prince!vouchsafe to accept this tribute, andbestow wealth upon me. I shall be happyin your living long!"

Bhartari Raja led the supplicant into aninner strongroom, where stood heaps ofthe finest gold-dust, and bade him carryaway all that he could; this the priestdid, not forgetting to fill even his elo-quent and toothless mouth with the pre-cious metal. Having dismissed the devo-

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tee groaning under the burden, theRegent entered the apartments of hiswives, and having summoned the beau-tiful Queen Dangalah Rani, gave her thefruit, and said, "Eat this, light of myeyes! This fruit—joy of my heart!—willmake thee everlastingly young andbeautiful."

The pretty queen, placing both hands

upon her husband's bosom, kissed hiseyes and lips, and sweetly smiling on hisface—for great is the guile of women-whispered, "Eat it thyself, dear one, orat least share it with me; for what is lifeand what is youth without the presenceof those we love?" But the Raja, whose

heart was melted by these unusualwords, put her away tenderly, and,having explained that the fruit wouldserve for only one person, departed.

Whereupon the pretty queen, sweetlysmiling as before, slipped the precious

present into her pocket. When theRegent was transacting business in thehall of audience she sent for the ambas-sador who regulated war and peace, andpresented him with the apple in amanner at least as tender as that withwhich it had been offered to her.

Then the ambassador, after slipping thefruit into his pocket also, retired from

the presence of the pretty queen, andmeeting Lakha, one of the maids ofhonour, explained to her its wonderfulpower, and gave it to her as a token ofhis love. But the maid of honour, beingan ambitious girl, determined that thefruit was a fit present to set before the

Regent in the absence of the King. Bhar-tari Raja accepted it, bestowed on hergreat wealth, and dismissed her withmany thanks.

He then took up the apple and looked atit with eyes brimful of tears, for he knew

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the whole extent of his misfortune. Hisheart ached, he felt a loathing for theworld, and he said with sighs andgroans:

"Of what value are these delusions ofwealth and affection, whose sweetnessendures for a moment and becomeseternal bitterness? Love is like thedrunkard's cup: delicious is the first

drink, palling are the draughts that suc-ceed it, and most distasteful are thedregs. What is life but a restless vision ofimaginary pleasures and of real pains,from which the only waking is the ter-rible day of death? The affection of thisworld is of no use, since, in consequence

of it, we fall at last into hell. For whichreason it is best to practice the austeri-ties of religion, that the Deity maybestow upon us hereafter that happi-ness which he refuses to us here!"

Thus did Bhartari Raja determine to

abandon the world. But before settingout for the forest, he could not refrainfrom seeing the queen once more, sohot was the flame which Kama hadkindled in his heart. He therefore wentto the apartments of his women, andhaving caused Dangalah Rani to besummoned, he asked her what hadbecome of the fruit which he had givento her.

She answered that, according to hiscommand, she had eaten it. Upon whichthe Regent showed her the apple, andshe beholding it stood aghast, unable tomake any reply. The Raja gave carefulorders for her beheading; he then went

out, and having had the fruit washed,ate it. He quitted the throne to be a jogi,or religious mendicant, and withoutcommunicating with any one departedinto the jungle. There he became such adevotee that death had no power overhim, and he is wandering still. But some

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say that he was duly absorbed into theessence of the Deity.

We are next told how the valiant Vikramreturned to his own country.

Thus Vikram's throne remained empty.When the news reached King Indra,Regent of the Lower Firmament and Pro-tector of Earthly Monarchs, he sentPrithwi Pala, a fierce giant,[FN#29] todefend the city of Ujjayani till such timeas its lawful master might reappear, and

the guardian used to keep watch andward night and day over his trust.

In less than a year the valorous RajaVikram became thoroughly tired of wan-dering about the woods half dressed:now suffering from famine, then ex-

posed to the attacks of wild beasts, andat all times very ill at ease. He reflectedalso that he was not doing his duty to hiswives and children; that the heir-apparent would probably make theworst use of the parental absence; andfinally, that his subjects, deprived of hisfatherly care, had been left in the handsof a man who, for ought he could say,was not worthy of the high trust. He had

also spied out all the weak points offriend and foe. Whilst these and otherequally weighty considerations werehanging about the Raja's mind, he hearda rumour of the state of things spreadabroad; that Bhartari, the regent, havingabdicated his throne, had gone away

into the forest. Then quoth Vikram to hisson,"We have ended our wayfarings,now let us turn our steps homewards!"

The gong was striking the mysterioushour of midnight as the king and theyoung prince approached the principalgate. And they were pushing through it

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when a monstrous figure rose up beforethem and called out with a fearful voice,"Who are ye, and where are ye going ?Stand and deliver your names!"

"I am Raja Vikram," rejoined the king,half choked with rage, "and I am cometo mine own city. Who art thou thatdarest to stop or stay me?"

"That question is easily answered," criedPrithwi Pala the giant, in his roaringvoice; "the gods have sent me to protectUjjayani. If thou be really Raja Vikram,prove thyself a man: first fight with me,and then return to thine own."

The warrior king cried "Sadhu!" wantingnothing better. He girt his girdle tightround his loins, summoned his opponentinto the empty space beyond the gate,told him to stand on guard, and pres-ently began to devise some means ofclosing with or running in upon him. The

giant's fists were large as watermelons,and his knotted arms whistled throughthe air like falling trees, threateningfatal blows. Besides which the Raja'shead scarcely reached the giant's stom-ach, and the latter, each time he struckout, whooped so abominably loud, thatno human nerves could remain un-shaken.

At last Vikram's good luck prevailed. Thegiant's left foot slipped, and the hero,seizing his antagonist's other leg, beganto trip him up. At the same moment theyoung prince, hastening to his parent'sassistance, jumped viciously upon theenemy's naked toes. By their united ex-

ertions they brought him to the ground,when the son sat down upon his stom-ach, making himself as weighty as hewell could, whilst the father, climbing upto the monster's throat, placed himselfastride upon it, and pressing boththumbs upon his eyes, threatened to

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blind him if he would not yield.

Then the giant, modifying the bellow ofhis voice, cried out—

"O Raja, thou hast overthrown me, and Igrant thee thy life."

"Surely thou art mad, monster," repliedthe king, in jeering tone, half laughing,

half angry. "To whom grantest thou life?If I desire it I can kill thee; how, then,cost thou talk about granting me mylife?"

"Vikram of Ujjayani," said the giant, "benot too proud! I will save thee from a

nearly impending death. Only hearkento the tale which I have to tell thee, anduse thy judgment, and act upon it. Soshalt thou rule the world free from care,and live without danger, and die hap-pily."

"Proceed," quoth the Raja, after a mo-ment's thought, dismounting from thegiant's throat, and beginning to listenwith all his ears.

The giant raised himself from theground, and when in a sitting posture,began in solemn tones to speak as fol-lows:

"In short, the history of the matter is,that three men were born in this samecity of Ujjayani, in the same lunar man-sion, in the same division of the greatcircle described upon the ecliptic, and inthe same period of time. You, the first,were born in the house of a king. The

second was an oilman's son, who wasslain by the third, a jogi, or anchorite,who kills all he can, wafting the sweetscent of human sacrifice to the nostrilsof Durga, goddess of destruction. More-over, the holy man, after compassingthe death of the oilman's son, has sus-

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pended him head downwards from amimosa tree in a cemetery. He is nowanxiously plotting thy destruction. Hehath murdered his own child— "

"And how came an anchorite to have achild?" asked Raja Vikram, incredu-lously.

"That is what I am about to tell thee," re-

plied the giant. "In the good days of thygenerous father, Gandharba-Sena, asthe court was taking its pleasure in theforest, they saw a devotee, or rather adevotee's head, protruding from a holein the ground. The white ants had sur-rounded his body with a case of earth,

and had made their home upon his skin.All kinds of insects and small animalscrawled up and down the face, yet not amuscle moved. Wasps had hung theirnests to its temples, and scorpions wan-dered in and out of the matted and clot-ted hair; yet the hermit felt them not. He

spoke to no one; he received no gifts;and had it not been for the opening ofhis nostrils, as he continually inhaled thepungent smoke of a thorn fire, manwould have deemed him dead. Suchwere his religious austerities.

"Thy father marvelled much at the sight,and rode home in profound thought.

That evening, as he sat in the hall of au-

dience, he could speak of nothing butthe devotee; and his curiosity soon roseto such a pitch, that he proclaimedabout the city a reward of one hundredgold pieces to any one that could bringto court this anchorite of his own freewill.

"Shortly afterwards, Vasantasena, asinging and dancing girl more cel-ebrated for wit and beauty than for sag-esse or discretion, appeared before thysire, and offered for the petty induce-ment of a gold bangle to bring the an-

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chorite into the palace, carrying a babyon his shoulder.

"The king hearing her speak was aston-ished, gave her a betel leaf in token thathe held her to her promise, and permit-ted her to depart, which she did with alaugh of triumph.

"Vasantasena went directly to the

jungle, where she found the pious manfaint with thirst, shriveled with hunger,and half dead with heat and cold. Shecautiously put out the fire. Then, havingprepared a confection, she approachedfrom behind and rubbed upon his lips alittle of the sweetmeat, which he licked

up with great relish. Thereupon shemade more and gave it to him. After twodays of this generous diet he gainedsome strength, and on the third, as hefelt a finger upon his mouth, he openedhis eyes and said, "Why hast thou comehere?"

"The girl, who had her story in readi-ness, replied: "I am the daughter of adeity, and have practiced religious ob-servances in the heavenly regions. Ihave now come into this forest!" And thedevotee, who began to think how muchmore pleasant is such society than soli-tude, asked her where her hut was, andrequested to be led there.

"Then Vasantasena, having unearthedthe holy man and compelled him topurify himself, led him to the abodewhich she had caused to be built for her-self in the wood. She explained its luxu-ries by the nature of her vow, whichbound her to indulge in costly apparel,

in food with six flavours, and in everykind of indulgence. In course of time thehermit learned to follow her example; hegave up inhaling smoke, and he beganto eat and drink as a daily occupation.

"At length Kama began to trouble him.

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Briefly the saint and saintess were mademan and wife, by the simple form ofmatrimony called the Gandharba-vivaha, and about ten months after-wards a son was born to them. Thus theanchorite came to have a child.

"Remained Vasantasena's last feat.Some months passed: then she said tothe devotee her husband, 'Oh saint! letus now, having finished our devotions,perform a pilgrimage to some sacredplace, that all the sins of our bodies maybe washed away, after which we will dieand depart into everlasting happiness.'Cajoled by these speeches, the hermitmounted his child upon his shoulder and

followed her where she went—directlyinto Raja Gandharba-Sena's palace.

"When the king and the ministers andthe officers and the courtiers saw Vas-antasena, and her spouse carrying thebaby, they recognized her from afar.

The Raja exclaimed, 'Lo! this is the verysinging girl who went forth to bring backthe devotee. 'And all replied: 'O greatmonarch! thou speakest truly; this is the

very same woman. And be pleased toobserve that whatever things she,having asked leave to undertake, wentforth to do, all these she hath done!'

Then gathering around her they askedher all manner of questions, as if thewhole matter had been the lightest andthe most laughable thing in the world.

"But the anchorite, having heard thespeeches of the king and his courtiers,thought to himself, 'They have done thisfor the purpose of taking away the fruits

of my penance.' Cursing them all withterrible curses, and taking up his child,he left the hall. Thence he went to theforest, slaughtered the innocent, andbegan to practice austerities with a viewto revenge that hour, and having slainhis child, he will attempt thy life. His

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prayers have been heard. In the firstplace they deprived thee of thy father.Secondly, they cast enmity betweenthee and thy brother, thus dooming himto an untimely end. Thirdly, they arenow working thy ruin. The anchorite'sdesign is to offer up a king and a king'sson to his patroness Durga, and byvirtue of such devotional act he willobtain the sovereignty of the whole

world!"But I have promised, O Vikram, to savethee, if such be the will of Fortune, fromimpending destruction. Therefore hear-ken well unto my words. Distrust themthat dwell amongst the dead, and re-member that it is lawful and right to

strike off his head that would slay thee.So shalt thou rule the universal earth,and leave behind thee an immortalname!"

Suddenly Prithwi Pala, the giant, ceasedspeaking, and disappeared. Vikram and

his son then passed through the citygates, feeling their limbs to be certainthat no bones were broken, and thinkingover the scene that had occurred.

We now are informed how the valiantKing Vikram met with theVampire.

It was the spring season when the Rajareturned, and the Holi festival causeddancing and singing in every house. Ujj-

ayani was extraordinarily happy and joyful at the return of her ruler, who joined in her gladness with all his kinglyheart.The faces and dresses of thepublic were red and yellow with gulaland abir,—perfumed powders,—whichwere sprinkled upon one another in

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Musicians deafened the citizens' ears,dancing girls performed till ready tofaint with fatigue, the manufacturers ofcomfits made their fortunes, and theNine Gems of Science celebrated theauspicious day with the most long-winded odes. The royal hero, decked inregal attire, and attended by manythousands of state palanquins glitteringwith their various ornaments, and es-

corted by a suite of a hundred kinglypersonages, with their martial array ofthe four hosts, of cavalry, elephants,chariots, and infantry, and accompaniedby Amazon girls, lovely as the suite ofthe gods, himself a personification ofmajesty, bearing the white parasol of

dominion, with a golden staff and tas-sels, began once more to reign.

After the first pleasures of return, theking applied himself unremittingly togood government and to eradicating theabuses which had crept into the admin-

istration during the period of his wan-derings.

Mindful of the wise saying, "if the Ra-

jadid not punish the guilty, the strongerwould roast the weaker like a fish on thespit," he began the work of reform withan iron hand. He confiscated the prop-erty of a councillor who had the reputa-tion of taking bribes; he branded theforehead of a sudra or servile manwhose breath smelt of ardent spirits,and a goldsmith having been detectedin fraud he ordered him to be cut inshreds with razors as the law in itsmercy directs. In the case of a notoriousevil-speaker he opened the back of his

head and had his tongue drawn throughthe wound. A few murderers he burnedalive on iron beds, praying the while thatVishnu might have mercy upon theirsouls. His spies were ordered, as theshastra called "The Prince" advises, tomix with robbers and thieves with a view

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of leading them into situations wherethey might most easily be entrapped,and once or twice when the fellows weretoo wary, he seized them and their rela-

tions and impaled them all, thereby con-clusively proving, without any mistake,that he was king of earth.With the sex feminine he was equallysevere. A woman convicted of havingpoisoned an elderly husband in order tomarry a younger man was thrown to thedogs, which speedily devoured her. Hepunished simple infidelity by cutting offthe offender's nose—an admirable prac-tice, which is not only a severe penaltyto the culprit, but also a standing warn-ing to others, and an efficient preventa-

tive to any recurrence of the fault. Faith-lessness combined with bad example orbrazen-facedness was further treatedby being led in solemn processionthrough the bazar mounted on a diminu-tive and crop-eared donkey, with theface turned towards the crupper. After a

few such examples the women of Ujjay-ani became almost modest; it is the faultof man when they are not tolerably wellbehaved in one point at least.

Every day as Vikram sat upon the judgment-seat, trying causes and pun-ishing offenses, he narrowly observedthe speech, the gestures, and the coun-tenances of the various criminals andlitigants and their witnesses. Ever sus-pecting women, as I have said, and hold-ing them to be the root of all evil, henever failed when some sin or crimemore horrible than usual came beforehim, to ask the accused, "Who is she?"

and the suddenness of the questionoften elicited the truth by accident. Forthere can be nothing thoroughly and en-tirely bad unless a woman is at thebottom of it; and, knowing this, RajaVikram made certain notable hits underthe most improbable circumstances,

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which had almost given him a reputa-tion for omniscience. But this is easilyexplained: a man intent upon squaringthe circle will see squares in circles

wherever he looks, and sometimes hewill find them.In disputed cases of money claims, theking adhered strictly to establishedpractice, and consulted persons learnedin the law. He seldom decided a causeon his own judgment, and he showedgreat temper and patience in bearingwith rough language from irritated plain-tiffs and defendants, from the infirm,and from old men beyond eighty. Thathumble petitioners might not bebaulked in having access to the "foun-

tain of justice," he caused an iron box tobe suspended by a chain from the win-dows of his sleeping apartment. Everymorning he ordered the box to beopened before him, and listened to allthe placets at full length. Even in thissimple process he displayed abundant

cautiousness. For, having forgottenwhat little of the humanities he hadmastered in his youth, he would handthe paper to a secretary whose business

it was to read it out before him; afterwhich operation the man of letters wassent into an inner room, and the petitionwas placed in the hands of a secondscribe. Once it so happened by the bun-gling of the deceitful kayasths(clerks)that an important difference was foundto occur in the same sheet. So uponstrict inquiry one secretary lost his earsand the other his right hand. After thispetitions were rarely if ever falsified.

The Raja Vikram also lost no time in at-

tacking the cities and towns and villagesof his enemies, but the people rose to aman against him, and hewing his armyto pieces with their weapons, van-quished him. This took place so oftenthat he despaired of bringing all theearth under the shadow of his umbrella.

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At length on one occasion when near avillage he listened to a conversation ofthe inhabitants. A woman having bakedsome cakes was giving them to her

child, who leaving the edges would eatonly the middle. On his asking for an-other cake, she cried, "This boy's way islike Vikram's in his attempt to conquerthe world!" On his inquiring "Mother,why, what am I doing; and what hasVikram done?" " Thou, my boy," she re-plied, "throwing away the outside of thecake eatest the middle only. Vikram alsoin his ambition, without subduing thefrontiers before attacking the towns, in-vades the heart of the country and laysit waste. On that account, both the

townspeople and others rising, closeupon him from the frontiers to thecentre, and destroy his army. That is hisfolly."

Vikram took notice of the woman'swords. He strengthened his army and

resumed his attack on the provinces andcities, beginning with the frontiers, re-ducing the outer towns and stationingtroops in the intervals. Thus he pro-

ceeded regularly with his invasions.After a respite, adopting the samesystem and marshalling huge armies, hereduced in regular course each kingdomand province till he became monarch ofthe whole world.

It so happened that one day as Vikramthe Brave sat upon the judgment-seat, ayoung merchant, by name Mal Deo, whohad lately arrived at Ujjayani withloaded camels and elephants, and withthe reputation of immense wealth, en-

tered the palace court. Having been re-ceived with extreme condescension, hegave into the king's hand a fruit whichhe had brought in his own, and thenspreading a prayer carpet on the floorhe sat down. Presently, after a quarterof an hour, he arose and went away.

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When he had gone the king reflected inhis mind: "Under this disguise, perhaps,is the very man of whom the giantspoke." Suspecting this, he did not eat

the fruit, but calling the master of thehousehold he gave the present to him,ordering him to keep it in a very carefulmanner. The young merchant, however,continued every day to court the honourof an interview, each time presenting asimilar gift.

By chance one morning Raja Vikramwent, attended by his ministers, to seehis stables. At this time the young mer-chant also arrived there, and in theusual manner placed a fruit in the royal

hand. As the king was thoughtfully toss-ing it in the air, it accidentally fell fromhis fingers to the ground. Then themonkey, who was tethered amongst thehorses to draw calamities from theirheads,[FN#34] snatched it up and toreit to pieces. Whereupon a ruby of such

size and water came forth that the kingand his ministers, beholding its bril-liancy, gave vent to expressions ofwonder.

Quoth Vikram to the young merchantseverely—for his suspicions were nowthoroughly roused—"Why hast thougiven to us all this wealth?""O great king," replied Mal Deo, de-murely, "it is written in the scriptures(shastra) 'Of Ceremony' that 'we mustnot go empty- handed into the presenceof the following persons, namely, Rajas,spiritual teachers, judges, young maid-ens, and old women whose daughterswe would marry.' But why, O Vikram,

cost thou speak of one ruby only, sincein each of the fruits which I have laid atthy feet there is a similar jewel?" Havingheard this speech, the king said to themaster of his household, "Bring all thefruits which I have entrusted to thee."

The treasurer, on receiving the royal

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command, immediately brought them,and having split them, there was foundin each one a ruby, one and all equallyperfect in size and water. Raja Vikram

beholding such treasures was exces-sively pleased. Having sent for a lapi-dary, he ordered him to examine therubies, saying, "We cannot take any-thing with us out of this world. Virtue isa noble quality to possess here below-so tell justly what is the value of each ofthese gems."

To so moral a speech the lapidary re-plied, " Maha-Raja! thou hast said truly;whoever possesses virtue, possesseseverything; virtue indeed accompanies

us always, and is of advantage in bothworlds. Hear, O great king! each gem isperfect in colour, quality and beauty. If Iwere to say that the value of each wasten million millions of suvarnas (goldpieces), even then thou couldst not un-derstand its real worth. In fact, each

ruby would buy one of the seven regionsinto which the earth is divided."

The king on hearing this was delighted,

although his suspicions were not satis-fied; and, having bestowed a robe ofhonour upon the lapidary, dismissedhim. Thereon, taking the young mer-chant's hand, he led him into the palace,seated him upon his own carpet in pres-ence of the court, and began to say, "Myentire kingdom is not worth one of theserubies: tell me how it is that thou whobuyest and sellest hast given me suchand so many pearls?"

Mal Deo replied: "O great king, the

speaking of matters like the following inpublic is not right; these things-prayers, spells, drugs, good qualities,household affairs, the eating of forbid-den food, and the evil we may haveheard of our neighbour—should not bediscussed in full assembly. Privately I

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will disclose to thee my wishes. This isthe way of the world; when an affaircomes to six ears, it does not remainsecret; if a matter is confided to four

ears it may escape further hearing; andif to two ears even Brahma the Creatordoes not know it; how then can anyrumour of it come to man?"

Having heard this speech, Raja Vikramtook Mal Deo aside, and began to askhim, saying, "O generous man! you havegiven me so many rubies, and even for asingle day you have not eaten food withme; I am exceedingly ashamed, tell mewhat you desire."

"Raja," said the young merchant, "I amnot Mal Deo, but Shanta- Shil, a devo-tee. I am about to perform spells, incan-tations and magical rites on the banks ofthe river Godavari, in a large smashana,a cemetery where bodies are burned. Bythis means the Eight Powers of Nature

will all become mine. This thing I ask ofyou as alms, that you and the youngprince Dharma Dhwaj will pass one nightwith me, doing my bidding. By you re-

maining near me my incantations will besuccessful."

The valiant Vikram nearly started fromhis seat at the word cemetery, but, likea ruler of men, he restrained his facefrom expressing his feelings, and hepresently replied, "Good, we will come,tell us on what day!"

"You are to come to me," said the devo-tee, "armed, but without followers, onthe Monday evening the 14th of the dark

half of the month Bhadra. " The Rajasaid: "Do you go your ways, we will cer-tainly come." In this manner, having re-ceived a promise from the king, andhaving taken leave, the devotee re-turned to his house: thence he repairedto the temple, and having made prepa-

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rations, and taken all the necessarythings, he went back into the cemeteryand sat down to his ceremonies.

The valiant Vikram, on the other hand,retired into an inner apartment, to con-sult his own judgment about an adven-ture with which, for fear of ridicule, hewas unwilling to acquaint even the mosttrustworthy of his ministers.

In due time came the evening moon'sday, the 14th of the dark half of themonth Bhadra. As the short twilight fellgloomily on earth, the warrior king ac-companied by his son, with turband-ends tied under their chins, and with

trusty blades tucked under their armsready for foes, human, bestial, or devil-ish, slipped out unseen through thepalace wicket, and took the road leadingto the cemetery on the river bank.

Dark and drear was the night. Urged by

the furious blast of the lingering winter-rains, masses of bistre-coloured cloud,like the forms of unwieldy beasts, rolledheavily over the firmament plain. When-

ever the crescent of the young moon,rising from an horizon sable as the sad

Tamala's hue,[FN#39] glanced upon thewayfarers, it was no brighter than thefine tip of an elephant's tusk protrudingfrom the muddy wave. A heavy stormwas impending; big drops fell in showersfrom the forest trees as they groanedunder the blast, and beneath thegloomy avenue the clayey groundgleamed ghastly white. As the Raja andhis son advanced, a faint ray of light,like the line of pure gold streaking the

dark surface of the touchstone, caughttheir eyes, and directed their footstepstowards the cemetery.

When Vikram came upon the openspace on the riverbank where corpseswere burned, he hesitated for a moment

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to tread its impure ground. But seeinghis son undismayed, he advancedboldly, trampling upon remnants ofbones, and only covering his mouth with

his turband-end.

Presently, at the further extremity of thesmashana, or burning ground, appeareda group. By the lurid flames that flaredand flickered round the half-extinguished funeral pyres, with rem-nants of their dreadful loads, RajaVikram and Dharma Dhwaj could notethe several features of the ill-omenedspot. There was an outer circle of hid-eous bestial forms; tigers were roaring,and elephants were trumpeting; wolves,

whose foul hairy coats blazed withsparks of bluish phosphoric light, weredevouring the remnants of humanbodies; foxes, jackals, and hyenas weredisputing over their prey; whilst bearswere chewing the livers of children. Thespace within was peopled by a multitude

of fiends. There were the subtle bodiesof men that had escaped their grosserframes prowling about the charnelground, where their corpses had been

reduced to ashes, or hovering in the air,waiting till the new bodies which theywere to animate were made ready fortheir reception. The spirits of those thathad been foully slain wandered aboutwith gashed limbs; and skeletons,whose mouldy bones were held togetherby bits of blackened sinew, followedthem as the murderer does his victim.Malignant witches with shriveled skins,horrid eyes and distorted forms, crawledand crouched over the earth; whilstspectres and goblins now stood motion-

less, and tall as lofty palm trees; then,as if in fits, leaped, danced, and tumbledbefore their evocator. The air was filledwith shrill and strident cries, with thefitful moaning of the storm-wind, withthe hooting of the owl, with the jackal'slong wild cry, and with the hoarse gur-

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gling of the swollen river, from whosebanks the earth-slip thundered in its fall.

In the midst of all, close to the fire which

lit up his evil countenance, sat Shanta-Shil, the jogi, with the banner that de-noted his calling and his magic staffplanted in the ground behind him. Hewas clad in the ochre-coloured loin-wrapof his class; from his head streamedlong tangled locks of hair like horsehair;his black body was striped with lines ofchalk, and a girdle of thighbones en-circled his waist. His face was smearedwith ashes from a funeral pyre, and hiseyes, fixed as those of a statue,gleamed from this mask with an infernal

light of hate. His cheeks were shaven,and he had not forgotten to draw thehorizontal sectarian mark. But this wasof blood; and Vikram, as he drew nearsaw that he was playing upon a humanskull with two shank bones, makingmusic for the horrid revelry.

Now Raja Vikram, as has been shown byhis encounter with Indra's watchman,was a bold prince, and he was cautious

as he was brave. The sight of a humanbeing in the midst of these terrors raisedhis mettle; he determined to prove him-self a hero, and feeling that the criticalmoment was now come, he hoped to ridhimself and his house forever of thefamily curse that hovered over them.

For a moment he thought of the giant'swords, "And remember that it is lawfuland right to strike off his head thatwould slay thee." A stroke with his goodsword might at once and effectually put

an end to the danger. But then he re-membered that he had passed his royalword to do the devotee's bidding thatnight. Besides, he felt assured that thehour for action had not yet sounded.

These reflections having passed through

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his mind with the rapid course of a starthat has lost its honours, Vikram courte-ously saluted Shanta-Shil. The jogibriefly replied, "Come sit down, both of

ye." The father and son took theirplaces, by no means surprised or fright-ened by the devil dances before andaround them. Presently the valiant Rajareminded the devotee that he was cometo perform his promise, and lastlyasked, "What commands are there forus?"

The jogi replied, "O king, since you havecome, just perform one piece of busi-ness. About two kos hence, in a south-erly direction, there is another place

where dead bodies are burned; and inthat place is a mimosa tree, on which abody is hanging. Bring it to me immedi-ately."

Raja Vikram took his son's hand, unwill-ing to leave him in such company; and,

catching up a fire-brand, went rapidlyaway in the proper direction. He wasnow certain that Shanta-Shil was the an-chorite who, enraged by his father, had

resolved his destruction; and his upper-most thought was a firm resolve "tobreakfast upon his enemy, ere hisenemy could dine upon him." He mut-tered this old saying as he went, whilstthe tom-toming of the anchorite uponthe skull resounded in his ears, and thedevil-crowd, which had held its peaceduring his meeting with Shanta-Shil,broke out again in an infernal din ofwhoops and screams, yells and laugh-ter.

The darkness of the night was frightful,the gloom deepened till it was hardlypossible to walk. The clouds openedtheir fountains, raining so that youwould say they could never rain again.Lightning blazed forth with more thanthe light of day, and the roar of the thun-

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der caused the earth to shake. Balefulgleams tipped the black cones of thetrees and fitfully scampered like firefliesover the waste. Unclean goblins dogged

the travellers and threw themselvesupon the ground in their path and ob-structed them in a thousand differentways. Huge snakes, whose mouths dis-tilled blood and black venom, kept cling-ing around their legs in the roughestpart of the road, till they were per-suaded to loose their hold either by thesword or by reciting a spell. In fact, therewere so many horrors and such a tumultand noise that even a brave man wouldhave faltered, yet the king kept on hisway.

At length having passed over, somehowor other, a very difficult road, the Rajaarrived at the smashana, or burningplace pointed out by the jogi. Suddenlyhe sighted the tree where from root totop every branch and leaf was in a blaze

of crimson flame. And when he, stilldauntless, advanced towards it, aclamour continued to be raised, andvoices kept crying, "Kill them! kill them!

seize them! seize them! take care thatthey do not get away! let them scorchthemselves to cinders! let them sufferthe pains of Patala."

Far from being terrified by this state ofthings the valiant Raja increased in bold-ness, seeing a prospect of an end to hisadventure. Approaching the tree he feltthat the fire did not burn him, and so hesat there for a while to observe thebody, which hung, head downwards,from a branch a little above him.

Its eyes, which were wide open, were ofa greenish-brown, and never twinkled;its hair also was brown, and brown wasits face—three several shades which,notwithstanding, approached one an-other in an unpleasant way, as in an

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k d h INTRODUCTION




over-dried cocoa-nut. Its body was thinand ribbed like a skeleton or a bambooframework, and as it held on to a bough,like a flying fox, by the toe- tips, its

drawn muscles stood out as if they wereropes of coin. Blood it appeared to havenone, or there would have been a de-cided determination of that curious juiceto the head; and as the Raja handled itsskin it felt icy cold and clammy as mighta snake. The only sign of life was thewhisking of a ragged little tail much re-sembling a goat's.

Judging from these signs the brave kingat once determined the creature to be aBaital—a Vampire. For a short time he

was puzzled to reconcile the appear-ance with the words of the giant, who in-formed him that the anchorite had hungthe oilman's son to a tree. But soon heexplained to himself the difficulty, re-membering the exceeding cunning of

jogis and other reverend men, and de-

termining that his enemy, the better todeceive him, had doubtless altered theshape and form of the young oilman'sbody.

With this idea, Vikram was pleased,saying, "My trouble has been productiveof fruit." Remained the task of carryingthe Vampire to Shanta-Shil the devotee.Having taken his sword, the Raja fear-lessly climbed the tree, and ordering hisson to stand away from below, clutchedthe Vampire's hair with one hand, andwith the other struck such a blow of thesword, that the bough was cut and thething fell heavily upon the ground. Im-mediately on falling it gnashed its teeth

and began to utter a loud wailing cry likethe screams of an infant in pain. Vikramhaving heard the sound of its lamenta-tions, was pleased, and began to say tohimself, "This devil must be alive." Thennimbly sliding down the trunk, he madea captive of the body, and asked " Who

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art thou?"

Scarcely, however, had the wordspassed the royal lips, when the Vampire

slipped through the fingers like a worm,and uttering a loud shout of laughter,rose in the air with its legs uppermost,and as before suspended itself by itstoes to another bough. And there itswung to and fro, moved by the violenceof its cachinnation.

"Decidedly this is the young oilman!" ex-claimed the Raja, after he had stood fora minute or two with mouth open,gazing upwards and wondering what heshould do next. Presently he directed

Dharma Dhwaj not to lose an instant inlaying hands upon the thing when itnext might touch the ground, and thenhe again swarmed up the tree. Havingreached his former position, he oncemore seized the Baital's hair, and withall the force of his arms—for he was be-

ginning to feel really angry—he tore itfrom its hold and dashed it to theground, saying, "O wretch, tell me whothou art?"

Then, as before, the Raja slid deftlydown the trunk, and hurried to the aid ofhis son, who in obedience to orders, hadfixed his grasp upon the Vampire's neck.

Then, too, as before, the Vampire,laughing aloud, slipped through theirfingers and returned to its dangling-place.

To fail twice was too much for Raja Vi-kram's temper, which was right kinglyand somewhat hot. This time he bade

his son strike the Baital's head with hissword. Then, more like a wounded bearof Himalaya than a prince who had es-tablished an era, he hurried up the tree,and directed a furious blow with hissabre at the Vampire's lean and calflesslegs. The violence of the stroke made its

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toes loose their hold of the bough, andwhen it touched the ground, DharmaDhwaj's blade fell heavily upon itsmatted brown hair. But the blows ap-

peared to have lighted on iron-wood—to judge at least from the behaviour of theBaital, who no sooner heard the ques-tion, "O wretch, who art thou?" than itreturned in loud glee and merriment toits old position.

Five mortal times did Raja Vikramrepeat this profitless labour. But so farfrom losing heart, he quite entered intothe spirit of the adventure. Indeed hewould have continued climbing up thattree and taking that corpse under his

arm—he found his sword useless— andbringing it down, and asking it who itwas, and seeing it slip through his fin-gers, six times sixty times, or till the endof the fourth and present age, had suchextreme resolution been required.However, it was not necessary. On the

seventh time of falling, the Baital, in-stead of eluding its capturer's grasp, al-lowed itself to be seized, merely remark-ing that "even the gods cannot resist a

thoroughly obstinate man." And seeingthat the stranger, for the better protec-tion of his prize, had stripped off hiswaistcloth and was making it into a bag,the Vampire thought proper to seek themost favourable conditions for himself,and asked his conqueror who he was,and what he was about to do?

"Vile wretch," replied the breathlesshero, "know me to be Vikram the Great,Raja of Ujjayani, and I bear thee to aman who is amusing himself by drum-

ming to devils on a skull."

"Remember the old saying, mightyVikram!" said the Baital, with a sneer,"that many a tongue has cut many athroat. I have yielded to thy resolutionand I am about to accompany thee,

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INTRODUCTION






bound to thy back like a beggar's wallet.But hearken to my words, ere we set outupon the way. I am of a loquacious dis-position, and it is well nigh an hour's

walk between this tree and the placewhere thy friend sits, favouring hisfriends with the peculiar music whichthey love. Therefore, I shall try to dis-tract my thoughts, which otherwisemight not be of the most pleasingnature, by means of sprightly tales andprofitable reflections. Sages and men ofsense spend their days in the delights oflight and heavy literature, whereas doltsand fools waste time in sleep and idle-ness. And I purpose to ask thee anumber of questions, concerning which

we will, if it seems fit to thee, make thiscovenant:

"Whenever thou answerest me, eithercompelled by Fate or entrapped by mycunning into so doing, or thereby grati-fying thy vanity and conceit, I leave thee

and return to my favourite place and po-sition in the siras-tree, but when thoushalt remain silent, confused, and at aloss to reply, either through humility or

thereby confessing thine ignorance, andimpotence, and want of comprehension,then will I allow thee, of mine own freewill, to place me before thine employer.Perhaps I should not say so; it maysound like bribing thee, but—take mycounsel, and mortify thy pride, and as-sumption, and arrogance, and haughti-ness, as soon as possible. So shalt thouderive from me a benefit which none butmyself can bestow."

Raja Vikram hearing these rough words,

so strange to his royal ear, winced; thenhe rejoiced that his heir apparent wasnot near; then he looked round at hisson Dharma Dhwaj, to see if he was im-pertinent enough to be amused by theBaital. But the first glance showed himthe young prince busily employed in

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INTRODUCTION


Vik d th V i INTRODUCTION




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pinching and screwing the monster'slegs, so as to make it fit better into thecloth. Vikram then seized the ends ofthe waistcloth, twisted them into a con-

venient form for handling, stooped,raised the bundle with a jerk, tossed itover his shoulder, and bidding his sonnot to lag behind, set off at a round pacetowards the western end of thecemetery.The shower had ceased, and,as they gained ground, the weathergreatly improved.

The Vampire asked a few indifferentquestions about the wind and the rainand the mud. When he received noanswer, he began to feel uncomfortable,

and he broke out with these words: "OKing Vikram, listen to the true storywhich I am about to tell thee."

Continue reading the Vampire’s first story...

INTRODUCTION

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