The Long Āgama Sūtra 7.86

7.86

「如是一日不見水草，二日、三日，乃至七日，又復不見。時，商人窮於曠澤，為鬼所食。其後一部，次復進路，商主時前復見一人，目赤面黑，泥塗其身，遙見問言：『汝從何來？』彼人答言：『從前村來。』又問：『汝所來處，豐有水穀、薪草不耶？』彼人答曰：『大豐有耳。』又語商主：『吾於中路，逢天暴雨，其處多水，亦豐薪草。』又語商主：『君等車上若有穀草，便可捐棄，彼自豐有，不須重車。』

“Thus, they didn’t see water or grass during the first day, nor did they see any on the second day … the third day … the seventh day. At that point, the merchants met their end in the wasteland and were eaten by the demon.

“The group that was behind them went down that road, and the merchant leader saw a man ahead who had red eyes, a black face, and a body covered in mud. He asked him from a distance, ‘Where did you come from?’

“The man answered, ‘I’ve come from a village that’s ahead.’

“He also asked, ‘Are water, grain, firewood, and grass bountiful where you came from?’

“That man answered, ‘There’s a huge bounty there.’

“He also told the merchant leader, ‘While I was on the road, there was a downpour. That place has much water, and there’s plenty of firewood and grass.’

“Again, he told the merchant leader, ‘Gentlemen, if you have grain and grass on your carts, you can discard it. That place has plenty, so you don’t need to burden your carts with it.’