wanted to prevent any one else playing the instrument. Now, the
rooms were very small and the pieces of furniture indicated were very
big, so that no two of these articles could be got into any room at the
same time. How was the exchange to be made with the least possible
labour? Suppose, for example, you first move the wardrobe into No. 2;
then you can move the bookcase to No. 5 and the piano to No. 6, and so
on. It is a fascinating puzzle, but the landlady had reasons for not
appreciating it. Try to solve her difficulty in the fewest possible
removals with counters on a sheet of paper.
221.--THE EIGHT ENGINES.
The diagram represents the engine-yard of a railway company under
eccentric management. The engines are allowed to be stationary only at
the nine points indicated, one of which is at present vacant. It is
required to move the engines, one at a time, from point to point, in
seventeen moves, so that their numbers shall be in numerical order round
the circle, with the central point left vacant. But one of the engines
has had its fire drawn, and therefore cannot move. How is the thing to
be done? And which engine remains stationary throughout?
[Illustration]
222.--A RAILWAY PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
Make a diagram, on a large sheet of paper, like the illustration, and
have three counters marked A, three marked B, and three marked C. It
will be seen that at the intersection of lines there are nine
stopping-places, and a tenth stopping-place is attached to the outer
circle like the tail of a Q. Place the three counters or engines marked
A, the three marked B, and the three marked C at the places indicated.
The puzzle is to move the engines, one at a time, along the lines, from
stopping-place to stopping-place, until you succeed in getting an A, a
B, and a C on each circle, and also A, B, and C on each straight line.
You are required to do this in as few moves as possible. How many moves
do you need?
223.--A RAILWAY MUDDLE.
The plan represents a portion of the line of the London, Clodville, and
Mudford Railway Company. It is a single line with a loop. There is only
room for eight wagons, or seven wagons and an engine, between B and C on
either the left line or the right line of the loop. It happened that two
goods trains (each consisting of an engine and sixteen wagons) got into
the position shown in the illustration. It looked like a hopeless
deadlock, and each engine-driver wanted the other to go
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