"The Mystery of Sasassa Valley" is the first story by

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

to be published, in 1879. "The Mystery of Sasassa Valley" appeared anonymously in ''

Chambers's Edinburgh Journal ''Chambers's Edinburgh Journal'' was a weekly 16-page magazine started by William Chambers in 1832. The first edition was dated 4 February 1832, and priced at one penny. Topics included history, religion, language, and science. William was soo ...

'' on 6 September 1879. The story is set in a valley in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

inhabited by a demon with glowing eyes.

References

1879 short stories Short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle Works published anonymously South Africa in fiction Demons in written fiction {{Story-stub