# Captain Royal — The Secret of the Caves character guide > Captain Royal in The Secret of the Caves by Franklin W. Dixon. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Captain Royal Todham Todd, the captain **First appearance:** 0013-xiv-captain-royal ## Snapshot A wild-eyed old sailor holed up near the caves, guarding a hoard of papers and jewels with paranoid fury — and possibly a forgotten life behind his rage. ## Who they are Captain Royal rules his cave like a besieged king, convinced the Hardy boys have come to rob him of money, jewels, and above all his precious papers. His violent outburst when he catches them near the clippings reveals a man whose grip on reality is fraying, yet whose hoard clearly means something he cannot articulate. He matters because he is the mystery's human knot: is he a lunatic, a thief, or the missing Professor Todd himself, stripped of memory and identity? ## Relationships ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/frank_hardy) _professional_ Captain Royal is a local boat captain who frequently assists the Hardy boys on their investigations. ### [Joe Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/joe_hardy) _professional_ Captain Royal works with Joe Hardy as a helpful ally during their seafaring adventures. ### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/chet_morton) _professional_ Captain Royal interacts with Chet Morton as a helpful adult figure during their adventures. ### [Biff Hooper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/biff_hooper) _professional_ Biff Hooper and Captain Royal have a professional relationship as part of the boating community. ### [Miss Evangeline Todd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/miss_evangeline_todd) _social_ Captain Royal and Miss Evangeline Todd are acquaintances connected to the cave mystery. ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/frank_hardy) _professional_ Captain Royal is a local boat captain who frequently assists the Hardy boys on their investigations. ### [Joe Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/joe_hardy) _professional_ Captain Royal works with Joe Hardy as a helpful ally during their seafaring adventures. ### [Frank Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/frank_hardy) _professional_ Captain Royal is a local boat captain who frequently assists the Hardy boys on their investigations. ### [Chet Morton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/chet_morton) _professional_ Captain Royal interacts with Chet Morton as a helpful adult figure during their adventures. ### [Biff Hooper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/biff_hooper) _professional_ Biff Hooper and Captain Royal have a professional relationship as part of the boating community. ### [Joe Hardy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/joe_hardy) _professional_ Captain Royal works with Joe Hardy as a helpful ally during their seafaring adventures. ### [Biff Hooper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/biff_hooper) _professional_ Biff Hooper and Captain Royal have a professional relationship as part of the boating community. ## In the story ### [Captain Royal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xiv-captain-royal) Introduced as a strange old man living in a cave, singing a nautical song. ### [The Old Sailor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xv-the-old-sailor) The eccentric old sailor who lives in a cave and tells improbable adventure stories. ### [Go Away!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xvi-go-away) Trades dried fish and eggs for canned beans, then abruptly orders the boys to leave, displaying erratic and hostile behavior. ### [The Man on the Shore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xvii-the-man-on-the-shore) Suspected of being Todham Todd; the boys plan to question him. ### [XIX: Clippings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xix-clippings) His cave is searched; clippings and lecture manuscripts are discovered, raising questions about his identity. ### [The Shotgun](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xx-the-shotgun) Captain Royal is in a manic state, accusing the boys of stealing his papers and threatening them with a shotgun. He fires the weapon at Frank as the chapter concludes. ### [Over the Cliff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xxi-over-the-cliff) The mad captain fires a flour-loaded shotgun, flees up the cliff path, hurls a stone at the boys, and ultimately falls over the cliff. ### [In Swirling Waters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xxii-in-swirling-waters) Falls from the cliff into the sea, is rescued by Frank, and is found to be alive but unconscious. ### [Back to Bayport](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xxiii-back-to-bayport) Unconscious after falling from a cliff; taken to a doctor in Bayport with a possible concussion. ### [At the Hospital](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/chapters/xxiv-at-the-hospital) Lies unconscious in the hospital with a concussion, identified as Todham Todd by his sister. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters/captain_royal - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_caves_se/characters