Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, was a Patuxet Indian that befriended the Pilgrims and became a trusted friend, interpreter and guide. Squanto was born around the year 1590. His tribe lived in a village which would later become the Pilgrim settlement of New Plimoth. Around 1605, Squanto and many other Indians were captured by English sailors visiting the New England coast. He was sold as a slave in Spain. Years later, Squanto was able to return to his homeland – only to be captured again in 1615. While living in London, Squanto learned to speak English. After several more years, Squanto was allowed to return to his home in New England. He discovered that his entire village had been killed by a disease. In the spring of 1621, Squanto greeted the passengers of the Mayflower. He wandered into their newly constructed village and greeted them in English, “Welcome Englishmen”. He even asked for English beer! They must have marveled at their good fortune. Squanto became a trusted friend. He helped the Pilgrims make a peace treaty with the Great Sachem, Massasoit. Squanto moved into the Plimoth village, and helped the Pilgrims cultivate corn, trap beaver, take wild game and fish, and trade with the neighboring tribes for fur. He was their guide and interpreter. Although Squanto did a great service for the Pilgrims, there came a time when he seemed to change. He once told the Pilgrims that Massasoit was going to attack them – although that wasn't true. To get presents from the Indians, Squanto would tell them that he could control the Great Plague that the Pilgrims had brought with them. With these falsehoods, Squanto stirred much trouble. The Pilgrims and other Indian tribes began to distrust him. The Great Massasoit even ordered that Squanto be executed. Squanto decided to remain with the Pilgrims for his own safety. One day in 1622, only 2 years after the Pilgrim's arrival, Squanto fell ill with a fever while traveling along the coast of Cape Cod. In Gov. William Bradford's journal, he tells of Squanto bleeding from the nose and falling into a deep sleep from which he did not arise. Before he died, he gave each of his friends something of his so that they could remember him. The Pilgrims were sorry to lose their lifeline in the New World. Without Squanto's assistance during the first few years, their lives would have been much more difficult.