MR. KYDD, HOW DARE YOU, SIR? To think to approach me in my own headquarters, demanding a hearing in such an impetuous manner." Admiral Sir James Saumarez stood upright at his desk, clearly outraged. "I'll remind you, sir, that you narrowly escaped court-martial by your contemptible actions and must be satisfied with a dismissal."

Commander Kydd held his impatience in check: at long last he had the evidence to prove false the accusation that had led to him being removed from command of his beloved Teazer and his first lieutenant, Christopher Standish, given the ship. "Sir, I beg leave to place before ye—this." He handed over a small, folded piece of paper.

Saumarez inspected it, then flung it down with contempt. "Mr. Kydd! If this is a brazen attempt to implicate me—"

"No, sir, it is not. Those are the secret orders I found within your reg'lar instructions as made me act as I did, an' which—"

"It's nothing but a crude forgery! And not in the proper form as you must well allow."

"Sir, I acted in good faith as I've never seen secret orders afore. I couldn't produce it for ye in your investigation as it was stolen from me, but now I can! If you'd be so good as to hear me out . . ." Saumarez's expression remained stony but he sat reluctantly, and as Kydd told his story, the admiral's anger was replaced first by bewilderment, then dismay.

It was a sorry tale: driven by envy and resentment at Kydd's successes, a more senior captain had arranged for false secret orders to be inserted into Kydd's main instructions that had him clandestinely retrieving a chest ashore. After a tip-off by an anonymous informer, a formal search was made of HMS Teazer on her return and the chest was found to contain smuggled goods. The upright and honourable Admiral Saumarez had seen no option other than to remove Kydd, the ship's captain, from his command.