William "Captain" Kidd (1645 - May 23, 1701) was a Scottish sailor. His dream had been to become a seaman, a great privateer and a pirate hunter. The success came almost instantly and his reputation as a privateer was growing rapidly. England heard of his success, and in 1695, the king called him to serve there. He was put in the command of the Adventure, a galley-warship with 30 cannons and 100 crew members. His main task was to hunt the pirates of the Red Sea, but his troubles began almost instantly. His crew members were mostly smugglers and former pirates, and they wanted him to attack all ships, but he refused. He committed his first and last act of piracy in 1698, when he captured the Quedah Merchant, a treasure ship that belonged to the British East India Company. The East India Company forced the government to brand him as a pirate. He was questioned before the English Parliament in 1701 and sentenced to death. During the execution, the hangman's rope broke and Kidd was hanged on the second attempt.