THE CANTERBURY PUZZLES
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of the sixteen gardens once, and never more than once." If we
follow the route shown in the accompanying diagram we find
that there is no difficulty in once entering all the gardens but one
before reaching the last garden containing the exit B. The difficulty
is to get into the garden with a star, because if we leave the
B garden we are compelled to enter it a second time before escaping,
B
and no garden may be entered twice.
The trick consists in the fact that you
may enter that starred garden without
necessarily leaving the other. If,
when the jester got to the gateway
where the dotted line makes a sharp
bend, his intention had 'been to hide
in the starred garden ; but after he
had put one foot through the door-
way, upon the star, he discovered it
was a false alarm and withdrew, he
could truly say : "I entered the
starred garden because I put my foot and part of my body in it, and
I did not enter the other garden twice, because, after once going in
I never left it until I made my exit at B." This is the only answer
possible, and it was doubtless that
which the jester intended.
54.—Bridging the Ditch.
The solution to this puzzle is best
explained by the illustration. If he
had placed his eight planks, in the
manner shown, across the angle of
the ditch he would have been able
to cross without much trouble. The
king's jester might thus have well overcome all his difficulties and got
safely away as he has told us that he succeeded in doing.
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