The Hardy boys looked at one another solemnly in the glow of the campfire.
"Do you think Captain Royal and Todham Todd are one and the same man?" asked Joe.
"What do you think of it yourself?"
"It certainly looks strange. But how could this queer old chap be Todham Todd? How would the college professor get away down among these caves, and what would be his idea in passing himself off as a sea captain?"
Frank was thoughtful.
"Stranger things have happened. You remember that Evangeline Todd suggested that her brother might have lost his memory. He was always more or less eccentric, no doubt, and if he was suffering from amnesia there is no telling where he might go or what he might do."
"It's mighty strange if we have run across him in this place. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that Captain Royal says 'by jing' once in a while. As for having his shoelaces untied, he seems pretty sloppy anyway, and that would be only natural."
"Oh, yes, there's every chance in the world that Captain Royal is simply an eccentric old tar. I agree with you there. Just the same, we can't afford to overlook the chance that he might be Todham Todd."
"How are we going to find out?"
"If we asked him, he would deny it, certainly. But perhaps if we could talk to him and ask a few questions he might give himself away."