THE CANTERBURY PUZZLES
39.—
The*Snail on the Flagstaff.
Though there was no need to take down and measure the staff, it is
undoubtedly necessary to find its height before the answer can be
given. It was well known among the friends and retainers of Sir
Hugh de Fortibus that he was exactly six feet in height. It will be
seen in the original picture that Sir Hugh's height is just twice the
length of his shadow. Therefore, we all know that the flagstaff
will, at the same place and time of day, be also just twice as long as
its shadow. The shadow of the staff is the same length as Sir
Hugh's height: therefore, this shadow is six feet long and the flag-
staff must be twelve feet high. Now, the snail, by climbing up
three feet in the daytime and slipping back two feet by night, really
advances one foot in a day of twenty-four hours. At the end of
nine days it is three feet from the top, so that it reaches its journey's
end on the tenth day.
The reader will doubtless here exclaim, " This is all very well,
but how were we to know the height of Sir Hugh ? It was never
stated how tall he was ! " No, it was not stated in so many words,
but it was none the less clearly indicated to the reader who is sharp
in these matters. In the original illustration to the Donjon Keep
window Sir Hugh is shown standing against a wall, the window in
which is stated to be one foot square on the inside. Therefore, as
his height will be found by measurement to be just six times the in-
side height of the window, he evidently stands just six feet in his
boots !
40.—
Lady Isabel's Casket.
The last puzzle was undoubtedly a hard nut, but perhaps difficulty
does not make a good puzzle any the less interesting when we are
shown the solution. The accompanying diagram indicates exactly
how the top of Lady Isabel de Fitzarnulph's casket was inlaid with
square pieces of rare wood (no two squares alike) and the strip of
gold 10 inches by a quarter of an inch. This is the only possible
solution, and it is a singular fact (though I cannot here show the
subtle method of working) that the number, sizes and order of those
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