Robert E. Howard’s writings
Exact textual stateSynopsis

Black Hound of Death - synopsis

StateSynopsisSurviving witnesses1TSS catalogue units1
Textual identity is not textual authority. “Catalogue primary/default” selects the default catalogue representation; it does not mean that this wording is automatically Howard’s most authoritative text.

Introduction

This surviving synopsis is an earlier textual state of Black Hound of Death, centered on Kirby Garfield’s attempt to warn Richard Brent about the escaped convict Tope Braxton. It belongs to the same Work as the later story but should not be assumed to reproduce the published wording exactly.

The untitled synopsis for Robert E. Howard's "Black Hound of Death" offers a glimpse into a dark and suspenseful narrative. Set in the secluded pine woods, this story weaves together elements of supernatural horror and human betrayal, centered around the enigmatic and determined figure of Kirby Garfield.

Summary spoilers

Kirby Garfield moves cautiously along a dark forest path, heading to warn a man named Richard Brent that a dangerous convict named Tope Braxton has escaped and is believed to be hiding in the woods. Brent is a newcomer to the area, having settled in a remote cabin deep in the pine forest with only a single servant, Ashley, who occasionally ventures out to gather supplies.

As Garfield proceeds along the path, he suddenly hears a man screaming in terror and running. A moment later, a wounded and dying Black man, Jim Tike, stumbles into him and collapses. Striking a match, Garfield sees that Tike has been horribly torn apart, as if by vicious hounds. Before dying, Tike gasps out that he was hired by a masked man to guide him into a remote area known as Egypt, but when the man's mask slipped, he killed Tike—seemingly by setting savage dogs on him.

Garfield barely has time to process this information when he notices a dark, silent figure looming in his path. He strikes a match to see more clearly, but the figure snarls, slaps the match away, and slashes at Garfield’s throat before fleeing into the pines. Garfield fires at the attacker, but the figure vanishes into the darkness. Examining himself, Garfield is horrified to find his shirt and shoulder slashed in the same manner as Jim Tike, leaving him shaken but determined to continue his mission.

He reaches Brent’s cabin and finds the man alone, as Ashley has gone to gather supplies. Upon hearing Garfield’s warning, Brent descends into hysteria and violently drives Garfield away with a shotgun, even firing after him. Garfield, now convinced that Brent is either insane or terrified beyond reason, decides to return to the village and gather men to retrieve Jim Tike’s body.

On his way back, he encounters Ashley, who is accompanied by a frightened young woman—Gloria Brent, Richard Brent’s niece. Garfield, concerned for her safety, decides to escort her to Brent’s cabin, despite Brent’s previous hostility and Ashley’s open distrust.

Upon their arrival, Ashley immediately turns violent, attempting to murder Garfield. Ashley is convinced that Garfield is a spy for a mysterious figure he calls Grimm—a deadly pursuer from Brent’s past. Through Ashley’s ravings, Garfield learns that Brent was once part of an expedition into Mongolia alongside Grimm. During a brutal attack by fanatical natives, Brent deserted Grimm and left him to die. Somehow, Grimm survived and has since returned to America, hunting Brent for vengeance.

Brent again orders Garfield to leave, but after stepping away, Garfield hesitates, worrying about Gloria. He turns back, just in time to see the cabin suddenly explode in a blinding burst of flame. Before he can react, he is struck from behind and loses consciousness.

When Garfield regains consciousness, he finds himself in a glade, illuminated by torchlight. He is handcuffed, the restraints identified as those stolen from a deputy sheriff whom Tope Braxton had murdered. Tope is now crouched over Garfield, holding a revolver and waiting to kill him. Thinking quickly, Garfield deceives Tope by claiming that a cross is scratched inside the cuffs, and that anyone who murders a man while he wears them will be cursed. Falling for the trick, Tope removes the handcuffs, giving Garfield an opening to attack. A savage fight ensues, ending with Garfield killing Tope.

Garfield rushes back to the cabin, where he witnesses a horrifying scene. Grimm, described as a dog-headed man, has thrown a strange bomb into the cabin—an explosive that only works within enclosed spaces—rendering Garfield and Gloria unconscious. Ashley, who had been outside, has had his throat torn out by Grimm’s jaws, which are described as being like those of a monstrous beast.

Inside the cabin, Garfield awakens to find Gloria spread-eagled on a table, helpless. Brent is bound on the floor, reduced to a state of insanity. Grimm, also consumed by madness, begins ranting about the unspeakable punishment inflicted on him by Mongolian monks, revealing that his monstrous condition is the result of his past actions. In a final act of horror, he prepares to flay Gloria alive.

Garfield, acting quickly, shoots Grimm before he can harm her. Mortally wounded but still filled with vengeance, Grimm uses his last strength to murder Richard Brent before succumbing to his wounds.

In the synopsis, Kirby Garfield sets out at night to warn Richard Brent about an escaped convict, Tope Braxton, rumored to be hiding in the nearby woods. As Garfield ventures deeper, he encounters Jim Tike, a local badly mauled and on the brink of death. Tike reveals he was attacked by a masked man whom he was supposed to guide through the woods, ominously known as Egypt.

Following this disturbing encounter, Garfield meets a dark, menacing figure who assaults him and quickly disappears. Undeterred, Garfield reaches Brent’s cabin to relay his warnings. However, Brent, overwhelmed by paranoia, reacts aggressively and forces Garfield out. Outside, Garfield meets Brent's servant, Ashley, and a woman claiming to be Brent’s niece, Gloria. Despite Ashley's mistrust, Garfield agrees to accompany them back to the cabin, driven by a sense of duty and concern for Gloria's safety.

The plot thickens as Garfield learns of Brent's dark past involving an expedition in Mongolia with a man named Grimm, who was presumed dead but has survived and is now seeking revenge. Grimm's transformation into a monstrous figure by Mongolian monks is revealed as he terrorizes Brent and plans to gruesomely punish him and Gloria.

The narrative reaches a climax when Garfield, having been knocked unconscious and left for dead, escapes from Tope Braxton using clever deception. Returning to the cabin, Garfield confronts and kills the monstrous Grimm in a desperate attempt to save Gloria, just as Grimm fatally wounds Brent.

Surviving manuscript evidence

The records below describe surviving physical typescripts, carbons, manuscript material and documentary catalogue evidence for this exact textual state. TSS numbers identify physical catalogue units; they are not story or draft IDs.

Synopsis — surviving Howard synopsis typescriptHoward synopsis typescript
Extent1 pageCompletenessComplete

Physical extent: 1 page / 1 TSS catalogue unit

TSS: 90416

Original typescript (OT).

Additional documentary notes

  • Untitled Witness: The spreadsheet records this surviving witness as untitled. (witness level)

Source: 000 TSS of REH moving towards final.xls · Complete List · Black Hound of Death, The (s1) · TSS 90416

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