t, and the like in the
small," replied the cellarman, "whereof five of each have been drunk in
the refectory."

"So be it. There be three varlets waiting at the gate. Let the two dozen
bottles be given unto them, both full and empty; and see that the dole be
fairly made, so that no man receive more wine than another, nor any
difference in bottles."

Poor John returned to his cellar, taking the three men with him, and then
his task began to perplex him. Of full bottles he had seven large and
seven small, and of empty bottles five large and five small, as shown in
the illustration. How was he to make the required equitable division?

He divided the bottles into three groups in several ways that at first
sight seemed to be quite fair, since two small bottles held just the same
quantity of wine as one large one. But the large bottles themselves, when
empty, were not worth two small ones.

Hence the abbot's order that each man must take away the same number of
bottles of each size.

Finally, the cellarman had to consult one of the monks who was good at
puzzles of this kind, and who showed him how the thing was done. Can you
find out just how the distribution was made?

77.--_Making a Flag._

[Illustration]

A good dissection puzzle in so few as two pieces is rather a rarity, so
perhaps the reader will be interested in the following. The diagram
represents a piece of bunting, and it is required to cut it into two
pieces (without any waste) that will fit together and form a perfectly
square flag, with the four roses symmetrically placed. This would be
easy enough if it were not for the four roses, as we should merely have
to cut from A to B, and insert the piece at the bottom of the flag. But
we are not allowed to cut through any of the roses, and therein lies the
difficulty of the puzzle. Of course we make no allowance for "turnings."

78.--_Catching the Hogs._

In the illustration Hendrick and Katruen are seen engaged in the
exhilarating sport of attempting the capture of a couple of hogs.

Why did they fail?

[Illustration]

Strange as it may seem, a complete answer is afforded in the little
puzzle game that I will now explain.

Copy the simple diagram on a conveniently large sheet of cardboard or
paper, and use four marked counters to represent the Dutchman, his wife,
and the two hogs.

At the beginning of the game these must be placed on the squares on which
they are shown. One player repre