JOHN LEDYARD. 265 



till he approached Bellows Falls. To have passed 

 over these in his canoe would have entailed certain 

 death. Fortunately, the distant roaring of the waters 

 awoke him from sleep, apprized him of his clanger, 

 and enabled him to escape it by landing his canoe and 

 carrying it, with the aid of the neighboring people, 

 around and below the cataract. He thus travelled a 

 hundred and fifty miles down the river in safety, or at 

 least without an accident, frequently passing through 

 dark forests and primeval wildernesses where no traces 

 of civilization were yet to be observed. His arrival 

 at Hartford in this singular manner filled his friends 

 with astonishment and dismay; for they imagined 

 that he was at that moment industriously and de- 

 voutly preparing himself at Dartmouth for his 

 future missionary labors among the Indians. 



Ledyard now consulted with his friends what was 

 best to be done. TVithin a month after his deser- 

 tion of Dartmouth College he had come to the de 

 termination to study theology and prepare himself 

 for the ministry. On this subject he conferred with 

 Dr. Bellamy, a celebrated preacher of that day. 

 To accomplish this result, to which the partial and 

 imprudent recommendation of the Doctor the more 

 encouraged him, he proceeded to Long Island, in 

 order to pass through his preparatory studies. But 

 in this enterprise disappointment attended him. 



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