The Terror of Blue John Gap - Plot Summary

Plot Summary

The story begins on April 7 at Miss Allerton's farm, where Dr. James Hardcastle is recovering from his illness. During his recovery he has taken to strolling around the Derbyshire hills where he investigates the strange limestone geography and geology and muses on life in general.

During one of his walks he discovers Blue John Gap. This is a mine built by the Romans in order to mine the valuable mineral Blue John. He also learns that the shaft connects to naturally formed tunnels and caves miles underground. This fits in with what he has already discovered about the Limestone landscape.

During his investigation of the gap he runs into a farmer called Armitage who warns him away. Armitage believes that there is some sort of creature lurking in "Blue John Gap" which has been stealing his sheep. He also claims to have found blood trails leading into the Gap and to have heard strange noises in the dead of night. Hardcastle is sceptical and Armitage leaves him in temper.

Later Hardcastle himself hears a strange roar. Mystified, and a little scared and shaken up by the event, Hardcastle resolves to learn more and plans to investigate Blue John Gap.

Armed with candles, Hardcastle descended into the gap as planned. He eventually finds the place where the mine and the natural caves join and investigates further. However, he has an accident when crossing a river and loses his candles and gets the matches wet, trapping him in pitch blackness.

When waiting in an attempt to see if his matches would dry Hardcastle hears something large coming his way. He hears it drinking from the stream and then after a tense moment, it turns and lopes back into the dark depth of the cave.

When Hardcastle finds the courage to move he finds that his matches are dry and, after lighting one to help him find his way, flees for his life. When back safe at the Allerton's farm he reviews what happened and comes to the conclusion that what he heard was real and not some delusion. He then begins to look for allies in his bid to stop the Terror before it strikes again.

He eventually went to see Dr. Mark Johnson, a friend of his friend Professor Saunderson. Johnson then sends Hardcastle to see Mr. Picton who is "pre-eminently suited to help him." It is later revealed that Mr Picton is in charge of an asylum. Hardcastle spends the night cursing the world which deems him mad and considering the irony that he himself had thought the same about young Armitage.

Later he learns that under the cover of darkness, when no moon shone in the sky, more sheep have vanished from the farms around Blue John Gap and Young Armitage has also disappeared in the night. Convinced that the "Terror" has killed him, Hardcastle resolves to put a stop to the creature's reign of terror on his own.

Hardcastle stakes out the gap on a dark night without a moon (the creature seems to hunt on these nights) and waits for the beast. Eventually the creature emerged and, in his surprise and terror, Hardcastle allows the creature to pass by him and carry out its mischief. However, he braces himself for its return, resolved that "not for a second time will it pass unchallenged."

Later the beast returns from its hunting and Hardcastle ambushes it with his elephant gun. Wounded, the beast flees back into Blue John Gap with Hardcastle in pursuit. When in the caves he corners the beast, which turns on him. During the fight, Hardcastle's gun is knocked from his hands and all would have been lost if he hadn't used his lamp to blind the creature's sensitive eyes.

On his return to the Allerton farm, with concussion and a broken arm and two badly fractured ribs, the locals, who always believed in the terror, unlike the city folk, viewed Hardcastle's tale and injuries as final corroboration. So in the early hours of the morning they gathered and blocked the tunnel, preventing the terror from emerging again.

Most Londoners believe, however, that Hardcastle was suffering from hallucinations, and he was not believed. He later died of his traumatic experience and when relatives went through his effects they found his journal and notes of what happened in an envelope titled "A Short Account of the Circumstances which occurred near Miss Allerton's Farm in North-West Derbyshire in the Spring of Last Year." The envelope was sealed, and on the other side was written:

"DEAR SEATON, It may interest, and perhaps pain you, to know that the incredulity with which you met my story has prevented me from ever opening my mouth upon the subject again. I leave this record after my death, and perhaps strangers may be found to have more confidence in me than my friend."