Why did James Mortimer wish to stay away from the baskerville hall?

James Mortimer wished to stay away from Baskerville Hall due to his fear of the legendary supernatural hound that was said to haunt the Baskerville family. He was concerned for the safety of his friend Sir Henry Baskerville and believed that the curse associated with the Baskerville estate posed a real and dangerous threat. Mortimer's apprehensions were rooted in both the eerie folklore surrounding the hound and the mysterious circumstances surrounding Sir Charles Baskerville's death.