button to main menu   West's Guide to the Lakes, 1778/1821

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Page 273:-
[extra]ordinary dry season. As the direction of this hole was not exactly perpendicular, but somewhat sloping, it is very probable we were not quite at the bottom. A subterranean rivulet descends into this terrible hiatus, which caused such a dreadful gloom, from the spray it raised up, as to make us shrink back with horror when we could get a peep into the vast abyss. We were informed, that not long since some animals - an ox and a calf, at different times, had the misfortune to tumble into this dreary pit, being tempted by the untasted herbage to venture too far on its slippery margin. Only a low mound of earth surrounds its brim; for a stone wall would answer no other purpose, than to afford the curious traveller materials to throw in for his amusement. Any advantage arising from the skins and carcases of these animals, was not a sufficient inducement to tempt a neighbouring adventurous youth to be let down by ropes to the bottom of this frightful chasm.- The waters run from its bottom above a mile under ground, and then appear again in the open air below the little village of Selside.- After having excited the several passions of curiosity, dread, and horror, from the negative knowledge we got of the capacity and depth of this huge pot, we went a little higher up the mountain, and came to another hiatus, called Long-churn. We descended down till we came to a subterranean brook. We first ascended the cavern down which the stream ran, proceeding in a western direction for (at least as we imagined) a quarter of a mile, till we came to a crevice which admitted us into our native regions. We measured the distance between the two extremities above ground, and found it two hundred and forty-one yards; but it must be nearly double that distance along the passage below, on account of all the turnings and windings. The petrifactions here were the most numerous of any we had yet seen, few people coming either to break them off or deface them. When we were almost arrived at the western extremity, we came to a fine round bason of pellucid water, from three to twelve feet deep, known by the name of Dr. Bannister's Hand-bason. A lofty, spacious, and elegant
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gazetteer links
button -- "Alun Pot" -- Alum Pot
button -- "Long Churn" -- Long Churn Cave
button -- Selside Beck

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