There were several objects of interest in Malham which we were told were well worth seeing:  Malham Cove, Janet’s Foss or Gennetth’s Cave, and Gordale Scar.  The first of these we resolved to see before breakfast.  We therefore walked along a path which practically followed the course of the stream that passed under the brig, and after a fine walk of about three-quarters of a mile through the grass patches, occasionally relieved by bushes and trees, we reached the famous cove.  Here our farther way was barred by an amphitheatre of precipitous limestone rocks of a light grey colour, rising perpendicularly to the height of about 200 feet, which formed the cove itself.  From the base of these rocks, along a horizontal bedding plane and at one particular spot, issued the stream along which we had walked, forming the source of the River Aire, which flows through Skipton and on to Leeds, the curious feature about it being that there was no visible aperture in the rocks, neither arch nor hole, from which it could come.  The water appeared to gain volume from the loose stones under our feet, and as we had not seen a sight like this in all our travels, we were much surprised to find it forming itself immediately into a fair-sized brook.  We gazed upwards to the top of the rocks, which were apparently unprotected, and wondered what the fate would be of the lost traveller who unconsciously walked over them, as there seemed nothing except a few small bushes, in one place only, to break his fall.  We heard afterwards of a sorrowful accident that had happened there.  It related to a young boy who one day, taking his little brother with him for company, went to look for birds’ nests.  On reaching the cove they rambled to the top of the cliff, where the elder boy saw a bird’s nest, to which he went while his little brother waited for him at a distance, watching him taking the eggs.  All at once he saw him stoop down to gather some flowers to bring to him, and then disappear.  He waited some time expecting his brother to return, but as he did not come back the little fellow decided to go home.  On the way he gathered some flowers, which he gleefully showed to his father, who asked him where he had got them, and where his brother was.  The child said he had gone to sleep, and he had tried to waken him but couldn’t; and when he told the full story, the father became greatly alarmed, and, taking his child with him, went to the foot of the cliffs, where he found his son lying dead where he had fallen, with the flowers still clasped in his hand!

[Illustration:  MALHAM COVE.]

We were afterwards told that above the cliff and a few miles up a valley a great stream could be seen disappearing quietly down into the rock.  It was this stream presumably which lost itself in a subterranean channel, to reappear at the foot of Malham Cove.