
Set on the stark, wind‑swept plateau of Dartmoor, this tale opens with a lone granite monolith rising from a sea of peat and heather. The ancient stone, known as Devil Tor, watches over a landscape that is both beautiful and unforgiving, its horizons lit by a sudden, all‑consuming blaze that turns the moor into a glowing inferno. The narrator’s vivid description of the fire‑swept heather and the eerie silence of the desolate hills creates a mood of both awe and foreboding, inviting listeners to feel the raw power of nature and the myths that cling to the rocks.
Into this haunting tableau steps a modest shepherd, the only human presence for miles, whose routine is shattered by the relentless flames. As the fire races across the tor and the surrounding moor, the shepherd must confront the ancient legends whispered about the stone and the tor’s sinister reputation. The story promises a compelling mix of rugged wilderness, folklore, and a solitary figure wrestling with forces far larger than himself.
Language
en
Duration
~16 hours (922K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2017-03-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1834–1924
A Victorian clergyman with a gift for storytelling, he wrote across an astonishing range of subjects, from novels and folklore to hymn texts and travel writing. He is still especially remembered as the writer of “Onward, Christian Soldiers” and as a vivid collector of local legends and odd histories.
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