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in: but this happens only about six or seven times in twenty
years [1].
Having satisfied our curiosity in viewing this wonder of nature,
and moralized on the insignificancy of all human attempts in
producing any thing like it, we ascended into our native regions,
and proceeded to another, called Douk-Cove, about a mile south,
on the other side of the turnpike road, towards the foot of
Ingleborough, whose height now appeared to great advantage from
the nature of our own elevated situation. Douk-cove is something
similar to that of Weathercoat, but not heightened so much with
the vast and terrible; the cavity, indeed, is longer and wider,
but not deeper; the rocks not so high and steep, except on the
east side, where the hawks and other birds build their nests, not
dreading the approach of human foot. They both seem once to have
been covered over, like Yordas; but the roofs have fallen in, by
some inundation or other accident. The stream of this cascade
does not fall above five or six yards, and is not so large as the
former; though, like it, is immediately absorbed amongst the
rocks beneath: the subterranean passage out of which it issues is
very curious. By the help of a ladder we ascended, and went along
it to some distance, by means of candles. When we had gone about
forty or fifty yards, we came to a chasm twelve or fifteen yards
in depth from the surface, through which we could see broad day.
How far we could have proceeded we know not: we returned after we
had been about an hundred yards. This would be looked on as a
great curiosity in many countries; but after those we had seen,
our wonder was not easily excited - No doubt but another
subterranean passage might be discovered, by removing the rubbish
at the bottom of the cave, where the water sinks.
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[1]
The owner of the cave says that it ran over in the back end of
the year 1757 (before Christmas), in 1759, in 1771 two or three
times and all in the back end of the year; and in February 1782,
and November 1783. But during this interval, the water has been
several times near the top of the cave. Before it runs over, a
large stream issues out of the well before Weathercoat-house.
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