# Captain Hastings — The Big Four character guide

> Captain Hastings in The Big Four by Agatha Christie.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** the good Hastings, M. le Capitaine, M. le Capitaine Hastings

**First appearance:** 0000-i-the-unexpected-guest

## Who they are

Poirot's loyal English friend and chronicler, who watches his old ally chase a shadowy four-member conspiracy and wonders, at times, if the chase has become obsession.

## In the story

### [The Unexpected Guest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/i-the-unexpected-guest)

Visits Poirot and inadvertently triggers the stranger's revelation by mentioning 'The Mystery of the Big Four'; accompanies Poirot partway before the abrupt departure.

### [II: The Man from the Asylum](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/ii-the-man-from-the-asylum)

Accompanies Poirot back to London; assists in the investigation; observes the clues.

### [We Hear More About Li Chang Yen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/iii-we-hear-more-about-li-chang-yen)

Hopes the fake asylum attendant will return; accompanies Poirot to visit Mr. Ingles; protests the idea of a Chinaman controlling Russia.

### [IV: The Importance of a Leg of Mutton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/iv-the-importance-of-a-leg-of-mutton)

Accompanies Poirot, offers imaginative hypotheses, and observes the investigation.

### [V: Disappearance of a Scientist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/v-disappearance-of-a-scientist)

Narrates the chapter, expresses frustration with Poirot's passive approach, and accompanies him to visit Mrs. Halliday.

### [The Woman on the Stairs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/vi-the-woman-on-the-stairs)

Accompanies Poirot to Paris, observes the woman on the stairs, and is nearly killed by a falling tree.

### [VII: The Radium Thieves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/vii-the-radium-thieves)

Eager for action, struggles with the visitor, and is crestfallen when the visitor escapes.

### [In the House of the Enemy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/viii-in-the-house-of-the-enemy)

Under the alias Major Neville, Hastings infiltrates Ryland's household as a secretary, discovers the coded letter, and arranges a meeting with Poirot.

### [IX: The Yellow Jasmine Mystery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/ix-the-yellow-jasmine-mystery)

Hastings is frustrated with the lack of progress against the Big Four and accompanies Poirot to Market Handford. He narrates the details of the Paynter case.

### [X: We Investigate at Croftlands](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/x-we-investigate-at-croftlands)

Accompanies Poirot to Croftlands, observes the investigation, and comments on the case.

### [XI: A Chess Problem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/xi-a-chess-problem)

Narrates the chapter; discusses the case with Poirot and retrieves a chess book for him.

### [The Baited Trap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/xii-the-baited-trap)

Receives news of his wife's kidnapping and is lured into a trap by the Big Four, leaving a clue for Poirot.

### [The Mouse Walks In](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/xiii-the-mouse-walks-in)

Captured and coerced into writing a decoy letter; later rescued by Poirot.

### [XIV: The Peroxide Blonde](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/xiv-the-peroxide-blonde)

Narrates the chapter, assists Poirot, and is disappointed by the lack of documents found.

### [XV: The Terrible Catastrophe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/xv-the-terrible-catastrophe)

Narrates the chapter; survives the bomb and vows to carry on Poirot's mission.

### [The Dying Chinaman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/xvi-the-dying-chinaman)

Grieving Poirot's death, Hastings is determined to avenge him and hunt down the Big Four, ignoring advice to return to South America.

### [Number Four Wins a Trick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/xvii-number-four-wins-a-trick)

Narrates the chapter, chafing at the forced inactivity. He recounts the dying message from Ingles's servant and insists on accompanying Poirot to the Tyrol.

### [In the Felsenlabyrynth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/chapters/xviii-in-the-felsenlabyrynth)

Narrates the chapter; captured and brought to the Big Four's lair, later rescued after the explosion.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/characters/hastings
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_big_four_se/characters