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Squanto, after nearly being sold into slavery in Spain, makes his way back to England. In his attempt to get home he makes it to Newfoundland but is returned to England.
Thomas Hunt, who Captain John Smith had left in Cape Cod to collect fish, may have thought he had a good thing going when he kidnapped some twenty Indians, including Squanto. Although Hunt did manage to sell some of his captives into slavery in Spain his moneymaking scheme was squelched when some priests stepped in and rescued what Indians had not already been sold; that number included Squanto. Until 1617, it is uncertain what Squanto's life included, however, that year he somehow appeared in London. Not only had Squanto managed to get to England but he was also living in the home of John Slany, the treasurer of the Newfoundland Company. While there, Squanto began to learn the English language and culture. He also began to understand the colonial ambitions of Slany and his pardoners as a way of returning to America. Whether Squanto made any steps toward embracing the Christian religion while with the priests is doubtful. Surely, his sole purpose was to find a way to return to his own people. His desire to go home moved closer to realization when he accompanied an expedition to Newfoundland. Although he was still a long way from home, he had escaped England and was on the American side of the Atlantic. But as hopeful as his present location was it was not to last. While in Newfoundland, Squanto became reacquainted with an officer who had served under Captain John Smith , while in Cape Cod. Thomas Dermer, like Smith, had left Cape Cod before Squanto and the other Indians were captured by Hunt. Dermer took Squanto back with him to England. It was Dermer's plan to introduce Squanto to Sir Ferdinando Gorges who was exceedingly determined to start a colony in New England. Recommended Reading: Sources: Athearn, Robert G. The New World: American Heritage New Illustrated History of the United States, Volume 1. Dell Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1963. Hoxie, Frederick E., Editor. Encyclopedia of North American Indians: Native American History, Culture, and Life from Paleo-Indians to the Present. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston and New York, 1996.
The copyright of the article Squanto in London in American History is owned by Mary Trotter Kion. Permission to republish Squanto in London in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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