Robert Louis Stevenson treks through the French highlands hoping to heal his recently broken heart — prompted by the loss of one Mrs. Fanny Osbourne — and to gather notes for a new travelogue, “Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes.” Along with the fickle Modestine, his pack donkey, Stevenson journeys 120 miles through villages and valleys, encountering innkeepers and fellow travelers, a monk-filled monastery, a violent, angry mob, and more superstitious locals than one could adequately poke with a donkey goad. These things he’d expected, but not the mysterious figure trailing him, the murder, nor, above all, a confrontation with the notorious Beast of Gévaudan of 18th-century legend. Hunted, heart-sick, questioning his own sanity and senses, Stevenson forms unlikely alliances as he is forced to face an entire region of werewolves — and possibly worse — in order to reach his destination and desire, Alès and a long-for letter from his estranged love.
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
Part Three: Chapter Twenty-One
Part Three: Chapter Twenty-Two
Part Three: Chapter Twenty-Three
Part Three: Chapter Twenty-Four
Part Three: Chapter Twenty-Five
PART FOUR
Part Four: Chapter Twenty-Seven
Part Four: Chapter Twenty-Eight
Part Four: Chapter Twenty-Nine