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[Ingle]borough, are grouse, the ring-ousle, and wheat-ear, the
fox, mountain cat, wild-cat, pole-cat, weasle (sic), stoat,
badger, and martin.
The perpendicular height of this mountain above the level of the
sea, is 3987 feet, as taken by a neighbouring country-gentleman.
The country people are all persuaded that Whernside, on the north
side of the vale of Chapel-in-the-Dale, is higher than
Ingleborough, from snow continuing longer on its top, and other
circumstances. The elevation appears so nearly the same to the
eye, that nothing but an exact admeasurement can determine this
honour for these rival, soaring candidates. The top of
Ingleborough is the first land, however, that sailors descry in
their voyage from Dublin to Lancaster, though above thirty miles
form the sea, which shows the great height of this mountain,
though not an argument for its being higher then Whernside, which
is not so well situated to be seen from the Irish Sea.
In our return we visited the long, deep, and dreadful chasm of
Meir-Gill, on the west side of the sheep-fence wall, running
north and south over the base of Ingleborough. It is about eighty
yards long, but in most places so narrow that a person may stride
over it, and is no where above two or three yards wide: in one
place there is a curious natural bridge over it. The depth is
very different in different places; in one place we found it an
hundred feet, forty-eight of which were in the water. One part
will admit a bold and active adventurer down almost to the water,
by a gradual but slippery descent. Here the shadow of the
superincumbent rocks, like that in Hurtlepot, forms a deceitful
appearance in the water: the bottom seems not above two feet
below the surface; but how fatal would be the attempt to wade
this abyss, in quest of further discoveries, from this shadow of
encouragement! The narrowness of this crevice at the top, has
something dreadful and alarming in it: how fatal would one false
step prove to the unwary shepherd amongst the snow, when the
mouth is drifted up; or to a stranger bewildered in a fog, and
looking forward with eager eyes for some habitation or frequented
path! Harmless and heedless
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