English Settlers Organize Rescue Party to Retreive John Billington from Nauset, Improving Relations with Native Americans

In late July, a boy by the name of John Billington became lost for some time in the woods around the colony.

It was reported he was found by the Nauset, the same group of Native Americans on Cape Cod from whom the Pilgrims had stolen corn seed the prior year upon their first explorations. The English organized a party to return Billington to Plymouth. The Pilgrims agreed to reimburse the Nauset for the stolen goods in return for the Billington boy. This negotiation did much to secure further peace with the Native Americans in the area.

Hardly had this mission been successfully accomplished when there arose a great hue and cry for one John Billington who was lost. He had gone into the woods, and, unable to find his way out, wandered up and down for five days, finally reaching Manomet, twenty miles down the bay. The Manomets carried him further down the cape to the Nausets. The governor inquired of the Indians about him, and finally Massasoit sent word where he was and a shallop was sent for him. The Nausets soon after came, one hundred warriors, and "made peace" with the colonists.