The Curse of the Mountain of Death

In the summer of 1880, a group of scientists embarked on an expedition to the Caucasus to find the skull of the mythical golden-horned ram that the Argonauts had once hunted. The local mountaineers warned that the skull was kept... in a cave on the Mountain of Death, and anyone who entered would meet imminent doom. The scientists merely laughed at the superstitious fear of the elders. After enduring incredible trials, they finally reached the cave and - oh, miracle! - indeed found the skull with the golden horns.
Then something inexplicable began to happen. One by one, members of the expedition met their end. The first victim was the geologist. He simply didn't wake up, and a wound was found on his neck - thin and straight, as if a sharp claw of a bat had grazed his throat. Then the botanist went into the mountains for herbs for his herbarium and didn't return - he was caught by a descending avalanche. Already near Tiflis, the zoologist's health sharply deteriorated, and by evening, he passed away... The miracle-surviving researcher Makar, returning to Moscow, immediately sought help from the private detective Marmeladov...