Captain

Captain is a little fox cub whom Dickon Sowerby found on the moor and brought home to the Sowerby cottage. The cub had been half drowned in its hole after its mother was killed nearby and the rest of the litter had died. Dickon carried the cub home in the bosom of his shirt to keep it warm, and raised it as a tame companion. Captain became one of the "creatures" that accompanied Dickon everywhere, trotting quietly close to his side as he moved about the moor and the gardens of Misselthwaite Manor.

Role in the Secret Garden

When Dickon first brought Captain into the secret garden, the fox cub lay on the grass near him, looking up to ask for a pat now and then. Captain was present during the children's work of clearing weeds and pruning roses, and he curled up near Dickon when the boy sat on the hearth-rug in Colin's room. The fox cub was part of the procession of animals that Dickon brought to visit Colin, trotting by his side as he entered the sickroom. Captain's presence, along with Soot the rook, Nut and Shell the squirrels, and the new-born lamb, helped to draw Colin out of his isolation and fear.

Relationship with Dickon and the Children

Captain was utterly tame and trusting with Dickon, following him as if the hounds had been after him. The fox cub showed no fear of Mary Lennox when she first met him, and he was equally comfortable with Colin Craven. Captain's quiet, affectionate nature made him a natural part of the circle of animals that gathered around the children in the garden, and he would lie curled at Dickon's feet while the boy worked or talked. The fox cub's presence was a constant reminder of the wild, living world of the moor that Dickon brought into the secret garden, and he helped to create the atmosphere of trust and healing that surrounded the children's project of restoring the garden to life.