DEEPDALK CAVE. 7 I 



confirms this. As water is not in the habit of running uphill, 

 this will perhaps suggest the answer, that, instead of conveying 

 water into the dale, the cave originally conveyed it aivay — that is, 

 that it was a " water-swallow." This would mean that at that 

 time the dale was trough-shaped, the cave being its outlet. 

 Ignoring the difficulty of accounting for the stream forsaking its 

 underground outlet and carving a new one, those who may 

 advocate this theory have to explain why the dale below this point 

 is as ancient looking — ^just as weathered, and its sides as smoothed 

 down — as that portion above. For it is obvious enough that if 

 this be the explanation, the former portion of the valley is the 

 more modern. I can only imagine a third answer, that the two 

 caves, one on each side of the valley, were originally one, and are 

 more ancient than the valley. It is interesting in connection 

 with this to observe that the opposite cave is on a much higher 

 level, so that if these caves were connected, the general floor 

 would continue the slope observed in the first chamber. Does 

 not this suggest that previous to the excavation of Deepdale 

 this subterranean passage drained the high ground on the west ? 

 But where the water was conveyed to, I cannot imagine, unless 

 the passage gradually veered to the north-east, and debouched into 

 a short abrupt valley pointing to the south near the commencement 

 of the dale. Such abrupt valleys as this usually terminate in a 

 large spring, which in a limestone district is frequently connected 

 with a cave. This small valley is no exception, for it terminates 

 in a pit-like cave, known as Churn Hole. The ravine leading to 

 Peak Cavern at Castleton is a parallel example, but on a grander 

 scale. There is nothing improbable in Churn Hole being an 

 outlet of Deepdale Cave, for the fall to it cannot be much less 

 than one hundred feet. I know that it will be objected that 

 from the moment Deepdale broke into our cave, its waters 

 would be engulfed, and the valley below deserted. Still, it is not 

 impossible that the cave had already long since ceased to be a 

 water-course, and in consequence was blocked with deposits. 

 Under such circumstances, a surface stream would have nothing 

 to gain by deserting its old course. 



