The Mystery of Sasassa Valley

Tom Donahue and Jack Turnbull, failed barristers turned prospectors in South Africa, hear a tale from Dick Wharton about a frightful fiend in Sasassa Valley with glowing eyes that blight the afterlife.

Intrigued, they venture to the valley at night, discovering a mysterious red glow visible only from a specific angle, which they mistake for a diamond but turns out to be rock salt—though Tom suspects a greater treasure remains.

Arthur Conan Doyle's debut published fiction, it echoes Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Gold Bug' in its deductive mystery and gemstone reveal.