POLLY’S ADVENTURES IN PUZZLE-LAND

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 72, 18 December 1928, Page 47 (Supplement)

POLLY’S ADVENTURES IN PUZZLE-LAND

A PHANTASY

By HENRY E. DUDENEY Author of "Amusements in Mathematics,’' "Modern Puzzles,” etc.

Exclusive to The Dominion

OME people are fond of a 1 little pleasant perplexity, ' and Polly Prittlewell, ' though only a sharp girl of ! fifteen years, was clearly born in this class. She always welcomed a good puzzle of almost any type pro-

Tided the conditions were such as she could understand. Last Christmas Eve she had examined all the contents of the cracker bon-bons provided for the dinner table in the hope of discovering some good posers. But she had been woefully disappointed and had to be content with paper caps and such trifles. That night as she lay down in bed she said almost audibly, "Oh, if I could only find some new puzzles to solve. Whether this thought affected her dreams and was influenced by the rich Christmas fare I cannot tell, but this is what really happened. A beautiful young woman bent over her and said, “So you want to be puzzled? Perhaps I can help you.” “Who are you?” asked Polly. “In that pretty dress and with that.charming thing on your head and that wand in your hand, I think you must be some sort of a fairy. If you can give me what I want I shall indeed be delighted.” “You are right,” was her answer. “They call me Pandora. I expect you have read all about the box of mystery that I gave to Epimetheus. It contained only one good thing at the bottom of a number of bad things, but I have many boxes of very different kinds. One would greatly interest you, because it Is full of those puzzle pastimes that you like. However, we will not bother about them. Come with me to Puzzleland, and I will Introduce you to come curious people who will perplex ■nd amuse you in various ways.” “What pretty country!” Polly ex-

claimed a few minutes later as they were walking down a delightful glade. “Where are we going?” “We are going there and back, my dear.” ••But, please, where is there?” “Well, in Puzzleland ‘there’ means anywhere and everywhere else.” -Then we can go as far as we like ■and can always come back when we nre tired. Look! Here comes Peter the Puzzler. We will stop him and see if he has anything to show us.” Measuring Two Pints. “Good day, Peter,” said Pandora, "where are you going with those two large jugs?” *T am going down to the brook,” said Peter, “to' fetch exactly two pints of water.” “But how can you measure out two pints with those two large jugs?” “Well, you see one holds exactly seven pints and the other eleven pints. If I wanted four pints of water all I.should have to do is to fill the elevenpint jug and from it fiil the seven pint, when I should have four pints left in the larger jug. If I wanted three pints I should first fill the seven-pint jug, pour the contents into the eleven-pint and then again fill the seven-pint and fill up the eleven-pint jug, when I shall have my three pints left in the smaller jug, and so on.” “I think'l can do that,” said Polly, ’’‘but. I shall want a little time to work it out. so I will put it down in my notebook.” She did so, leaving Peter to go on his way. A little further ,on they came upon a group of merry youngsters playing on the green. "Book:” said Polly, “they- are playing ‘Round the Mulberry Tree,’ a game I used to play when I was a little ronn'rer.”

“You are quite right,” said Pandora, "and here is a puzzle for you.” Dancing in a King. “There are thirteen youngsters dancing in a ring. Now how many rings might these same thirteen children form without any child ever taking twice the hand of any other childright or left? Thus no child may ever have the same neighbour a second time.” “I know there cannot be many ways of doing it,” said Polly as she made a note in her book.

*Yes,” said Pandora, "all good puzzles need a little thought. If we could answer them straight away they would be poor puzzles, wouldn’t they?” They then came upon a girl standing before a table on which were four pretty basins. Distributing Eggs. “Good morning, Dorothy,” said Pandora, "what is your puzzle for to-day?

This is my young friend Polly, and she is very interested in some of the posers which form your daily recreation in. this happy place. Now what are you doing with the basins?” “Well,” Dorothy replied, "you see one of them contains a number of eggs. In fact, there are eighteen of them, and I have been asked to place tha same number of these eggs in each of the four basins.” “Why not put four eggs In each basin-” said Polly. “But that won’t do because I should have two over and no basin for them. And if I try to put five in every basin I should not have enough by two. Still, it has to be done somehow.” They smiled and passed on. said to her guide that she saw how it was possible, and Pandora agreed with her that her answer must be correct. Selling Poultry. A very little further on they discovered a youth seated in front of a lot of poultry evidently trying to work out something. “What are you amusing yourself with to-day, George?” asked Pandora. “Only this which has just been given to me and which will not take me long. “Three chickens and one duck are sold for as much as two geese. And one chicken and two ducks and three geese are sold together for 255. What is the price of each bird in an exact number of shillings?” Polly thanked him politely, and entered the puzzle in her notebook, saying she would enjoy solving it later. They then entered the Puzzleland Temple where, in - a large handsome hall, charmingly decorated, they found a number of persons of all ages and both sexes seated around a long table looking very happy and interested in their curious recreations. About the table were distributed an ample supply of paper, pencils, cardboard, scissors, string, chessboards and men, draughts, playing cards, dominoes, and other things all ready to . their hands if wanted. Missing Words. The first person they approached was evidently engaged in some word puzzle, for she had in front of her seven little pieces of cardboard, each bearing one of the letters A. E. I. P. R. S. and T. These she was shifting about so as to make them form different words. Pandora asked her to explain! and she handed her a paper bearing the following curious account: starting on a from Harwich watching an aeroplane which hovered above, marked with of red. A sailor, with an eye to the time whendue, remarked affably, “ need to mind theirwhen one of them things is about. A regular I calls ’em; Bad words always to my lips when I sees one.” “Oh,” said the other, “ a kinder

thought and forget your What can be more graceful and what for speedy travel?” “Perhaps I does get into,” replied the man, “without proper cause and a bit; but I regards them ” “Well, as I hear the bell sounding for must hurry

down below.” “Very good, sir, and I’ll of to eat my”

She explained that every blank must be filled with one, two or three words, or. a hyphenated word, but in every

case they must contain the same seven letters, A. E. I. P. R. S. T. “I think,” said Polly, “if I may make a suggestion, instead of trying to fill in each word in turn I should first write out as many words as I could contrive from the seven letters and afterwards try to fit them in.” "You are quite right,” was the reply, “for this is exactly what I am doing.” She showed Polly a list of words that she had so far constructed. The next person they approached had a watch before him and was figuring away on a sheet of paper. “Oh, I like watch and clock puzzles,” said polly. “Forgive my interrupting you, but would you mind telling me what you are trying to solve?”

She wrote down in her little notebook as he stated them the conditions of his puzzle as follows:—• A very accurate clock with three hands were stopped when the hour and minute hands were exactly together, but all that can be remembered is that the seconds’ hand Indicated eleven seconds all but a very small fraction. What was the time at which the clock was stopped? The Rising Water. Further on Polly was attracted by

an elderly man who seemed to be busy contemplating a little cardboard box in which he had placed two dice. “Whatever is this?” exclaimed Polly to Pandora. The man overheard and said with a smile. “I have got a funny little puzzle here. It is not very difficult, but will require Just a little thought. If you are interested, the box represents a tank with the bottom measuring six square feet You may suppose there is water in it nine inches deep. Now how much does the water rise (1) if a one-foot metal cube is put into it: (2) how much further does it rise if another cube like it is put in by its side?” "Thank you so much,” said Polly, “it is a puzzle a little bit out of my line, but I shall be glad to put it in my notebook as I know it will please some of my friends. She wrote it down carefully. Boadicea and Cleopatra. “Do you like puzzles dealing with popple's ages?” asked Pandora. 'T love them,” said Polly. “I know quite a lot of them.” “Then we will go round to Winifred, that maid on the opposite side of the table, because such puzzles are quite a passion with her and she is sure to have something in that line worth attention.” So they went round and Polly was Introduced. “Of course you have heard of Boadieea and Cleopatra?” asked Winifred. “Rather!” said Polly, “I am pretty good at history, and I remember that they both lived somewhere round the time of the birth of Christ.” “Quite right, and if you also like puzzles you will find this is very entertaining. It is not difficult if you can hit on the little trick of solving it, and I have just found the answer. Here is the puzzle. “Boadicea died 129 years after Cleopatra was born. Their united ages (that is, the combined years of their complete lives) were 100 years. Cleopatra died 30 B.C. When was Boadieea born? At that moment the Puzzle Master entered the hall and, seeing Pandora, approached her. “Good day. Pandora,” he said, “we are always pleased to have a visit from you. Who is your friend?”

“This, Master, is Polly, who was a little distressed because she could find no new puzzles to solve, so I have brought her here for a treat.” “This is indeed a treat,” said Polly, “for I have got in my notebook quite a lot of good things that will keep me amused for a long time.” “All great people in the world,” he said, “have loved good puzzles. They are a capital recreation and help to keep the mind clear and active, so they are really very useful in addition to being fascinating and amusing. But you must never let them worry you, my dear, or interfere with other studies and duties of life. This is our Hall of Amusement, and all these people that you see have their various occupations and only come here for rest and recreation in their spare time. No good puzzler is an idler. Now here is.a little, puzzle that I have just’made

for our young friend over there at the other end of the table. You may take it down for consideration.” ' Three Drovers.

“Three drovers met on the highway. Said Jack to Jim: ’lf I give you six pigs for a horse, you’ll then have twice as many animals in your drove as I will have in mine.” Said Dan to Jack: ‘lf I give you fourteen sheep for a horse, then you’ll have three times as many animals as I have got.’ Said Jim to Dan: ‘But if I give you four cows for a horse, then you’ll have six times as many animals as I.’ "There were no deals, but from this interesting conversation can you tell just how many animals there were in the three droves?”

He then said good-bye and passed on. “Now I think you have got enough puzzles, my dear Polly,” said Pandora, “and perhaps you ought to be getting back.” "But I am afraid I do not know the way.” “Just close your eyes,” said Pandora, "and say, ‘Home I go from where I stand, To my bed from Puzzleland.’ ”

Polly then opened her eyes and found herself lying comfortably in her own

bed. She rubbed her eyes and exclaimed: “Have I been dreaming, or was it somehow true? But it does not matter, for, although I seem to have lost my notebook, I am lucky in having a good memory, so I shall be able to copy out all those jolly puzzles, and some of my friends and I ought to have a good time with them.” Solutions to the above puzzles appear below. SOLUTIONS.. Measuring Two Pints. Two pints may be measured in fourteen transactions as below, where the vessels above the line are empty and every other row shows a transaction. 7 11

The content of the vessels after each transaction will make everything clear. Dancing in a Ring. Six rings may be formed and no more. Here is one way of arranging the children on the six occasions: — ABCDEFG H I J K L M ACEGIKM B D F II J L ADGJMCF I L B E II K AEIMDIIL C G K B F J AFKCIIME J B G L D I AGMFLEK D J C I B II Of course, you join the ends of each row to form the rings. Distributing Eggs. Polly’s answer was that you must put six eggs in each of three basins and then place one of these basins inside the empty one. Then every basin would contain six eggs because if a basin contains another basin it also contains the contents of that other basin. Selling Poultry. The price for a chicken was 25., for a duck 45., and for a goose ss. Missing Words. The words in their order are as follows: A priest: sea-trip; pier, sat; a stripe; tips are; Parties ; pate, sir; airpest; rise pat; spare it; past ire; is apter; a pet, sir; 1 prates; as tripe; repast, I; traipse! praties. A Puzzling Clock. The clock must have stopped at Th. 38m. 10 10-lls. when the hour and minute hands would be exactly together and the seconds hand show 11 seconds all but 1-llth. The Rising Water. (1) The water rises 1.8 inches, and (2) rises an additional 2.2 inches. Boadicea and Cleopatra. There were 129 years between the birth of Cleopatra and the death of Boadicea, but as their united ages amounted to 100 years there must have been 29 years when neither existed. This was between the death of Cleopatra and the birth of Boadicea. Therefore Boadicea must have been born 29 years after the death of Cleo patra in 308. C., which would be in the year 1 B.C. Three Drovers. Jack had eleven animals. Jim had seven, and Dan had twenty-one. so that there were thirty-nine altogether;

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