# Tony Prito — The House on the Cliff character guide

> Tony Prito in The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tony

**First appearance:** 0000-i-the-haunted-house

## Snapshot

A mechanically gifted friend who supplies the motorboat Napoli and steers it through treacherous currents to scout the smugglers' cliff.

## Who they are

Tony is the boy with grease on his overalls and an engine on his mind, trading his father's motorboat for a seat on the Hardy boys' expedition to the Polucca cliffs. He navigates the Napoli through rough water and shifting currents with easy skill, keeping the craft hidden from the house above while the brothers scan the rock face for a path. Without his boat and his nerve at the wheel, the crucial reconnaissance of the cliff would never happen.

## In the story

### [The Cap on the Peg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xi-the-cap-on-the-peg)

Part of the search party, approves Frank's plan to approach the house.

### [XII: Pointed Questions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xii-pointed-questions)

Threatens to involve the police during the confrontation.

### [XIV: Private Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xiv-private-property)

Secures the motorboat Napoli and skillfully navigates through reefs and into the hidden cove.

### [Smugglers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xv-smugglers)

Operates the motorboat; warns of danger and returns to Bayport to get help.

### [The Secret Passage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xvi-the-secret-passage)

His motorboat is heard speeding away down the bay as the boys explore.

### [The Roundup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxiv-the-roundup)

Arrives by motorboat with police, having captured the smugglers attempting to escape by boat.

### [The Mystery Explained](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/chapters/xxv-the-mystery-explained)

Envied by friends for his role in the climax; reflects on his motorboat adventure.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters/tony_prito
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_cliff_se/characters