The Strand 1912-3 Vol-XLIII № 255 March mich

PRINCE IVAN. 343 Wolf, and Ivan answered : \" (key Wolf, my friend I I myself have begun to love Helen the Beautiful, yet now I must give her up to Czar Afron for the horse with the golden mane. For if I do not, then Czar Afron will dis honour m y name in all countries.\" \"I have served you in much, Prince Ivan,\" said the Grey Wolf, \" but I will also do you this service. Listen. When we come near to the palace, I myself will take the shape of the Czar's daughter, and you shall lead me to Czar Afron, and shall take in exchange the horse with the golden mane You shall mount him and ride far away. Then I will ask leave of Czar Afron to walk in the open field, and when I am in the field with the Court \"SITTING ON THE WOLFS BACK, WITH THE CZAR'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER IN HIS ARMS, IVAN BEGAN TO LOVE HER WITH HIS HEART AND SOUL.\" ladies-in-waiting, you have only once to think of me, the Grey Wolf, and I will come.\" As soon as the Wolf had uttered these words he beat his paw against the damp ground and instantly took the shape of the Czar's beautiful daughter ; so like to her that no one in the world could have told that he was not the Princess herself. Then, bidding Helen the Beautiful wait for him outside the walls, Ivan led the Grey Wolf into the palace to Czar Afron. The Czar, thinking at last he had won the treasure he had so long desired as his wife, was very joyful, and gave Ivan the horse with the golden mane and the golden bridle. And Ivan, mounting, rode outside the walls to the real Helen the Beautiful, put her before him on the saddle, and set out

344 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. the Grey Wolf, and soon he overtook Prince Ivan. \" Mount on my back, Ivan,\" said the Wolf, \" and let Helen the Beautiful ride on the horse with the golden mane.\" Ivan mounted the Grey Wolf, and the Princess rode on the horse with the golden inane, and so they went on together to the kingdom of Czar Dolmat, in whose garden hung the cage with the Glowing Bird. Whether the way was a long one or a short one, at length they came near to Czar Dol- mat's palace. Then Prince Ivan, getting down from the Wolfs back, said : — \" Grey Wolf, my dear friend ! You have done me many services. Do me also one more, the last and greatest. If you can take the shape of Helen the Beautiful, you can take also that of this horse with the golden mane. Do this, and let me deliver you to Czar Dolmat in exchange for the Glowing Bird. Then, when I am far away on the road to my own kingdom, you can again rejoin us.\" \" So be it,\" said the Wolf, and beat his paw against the dry ground, and immediately he took the shape of the horse with a golden mane, so like to that the Princess rode that no one could have told one from the other. Then Ivan, leaving Helen the Beautiful on the green lawn with the real horse with the golden mane, mounted and rode to the palace gate. When Czar Dolmat saw Prince Ivan riding on the false horse with the golden mane he rejoiced exceedingly. He came out, em braced Ivan in the wide courtyard and kissed him on the mouth, and taking his right hand led him into his splendid rooms. He made a great festival, and they sat at oak tables covered with embroidered cloths, and for two days ate, drank, and made merry. On the third day the Czar gave Ivan the Glowing Bird in its golden cage. Ivan took it, went to the green lawn where he had left Helen the Beautiful, mounted the real horse with the golden mane, set the Princess on the saddle before him, and together they rode away across the three times nine lands towards his native country, the kingdom of Czar Wyslaff. As to Czar Dolmat, for two days he admired the false horse with the golden mane, and on the third day he desired to ride him. He gave orders, therefore, to saddle him, and, mounting, rode to the open fields. But as he was riding, it chanced that Ivan, far away with Helen the Beautiful, all at once remembered his promise and cried : \"Grey Wolf, Grey Wolf, I am thinking of you ! \" And at that instant the horse Czar Dolmat rode threw the Czar from his back and turned into the Grey Wolf, which ran off more swiftly than a hundred horses. Czar Dolmat hastened to the palace and sent many soldiers in pursuit, but they could not catch the Grey Wolf, and soon he over took the horse with the golden mane that

PRL\\CE IVAN. 345 ^ A \" WASSILV SET THE POINT OF HIS SWORD AGAINST HER BREAST AND SAID: 'LISTEN, HELEN THE BEAUTIFUL! YOU ARE NOW IN OUR HANDS.'\" put to a cruel death. If you were brave knights you would have ridden against him in the open field, then you might have been victorious over him with honour, but instead of that you have slain him when he was asleep. What praise will such an act receive? \" But Wassily set the point of his sword against her breast and said : \" Listen, Helen the Beautiful ! You are now in our hands. We shall take you to our father, Czar Wyslaff, and you shall tell him that we, and not Ivan, found the Glowing Bird, and won the horse with the golden mane and your own lovely self. If you do not swear by all holy things to say this, then this instant will we put you to death !\" And the Czar's beautiful daughter, frightened by their threats, swore that she would speak as they commanded. Dimitry and Wassily cast lots to see who should take Helen the Beautiful and who the horse with the golden mane and the Glowing Bird. The Princess fell to Wassily and the horse and the bird to Dimitry, and Wassily

346 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. took Helen the Beautiful on his horse and Dimitry took the Glowing Bird and the horse with the golden mane, and both rode swiftly to the palace of their father. The Czar rejoiced greatly to see them. To Dimitry, since he had brought him the Glowing Bird, he gave the half of his king dom, and he made a festival which lasted a whole month, at the end of which time Wassily was to wed Helen the Beautiful. As for Ivan, dead and cut into pieces, he lay on the green plain for thirty days. And on the thirty-first day it chanced that the Grey Wolf passed that way. He knew at once by his keen scent that the body was that of Prince Ivan. While he sat grieving for his friend, there came flying an iron-beaked she- crow with two fledglings, who alii^hted on the ground and would have eaten the flesh, but the Wolf leaped up and seized one of the young birds. Then the mother crow, flying to a little distance, said to him: \"O Grey' Wolf, Wolf's son ! Do not devour my little child, since it has in no way harmed you.\" And the Grey Wolf answered : \" Listen, Crow, Crow's daughter ! Do me a certain service, and I will not harm your fledgling. I have heard that across three times nine countries, in the thirtieth kingdom, are two springs, so placed that none save a bird can come to them, which give forth, the one the water of death and the other the water of life. Bring to me two bottles of these waters, and I will let your fledgling go safe and sound. But if you do not, then I will tear it in pieces and devour it.\" \" I will indeed do you this service, Grey Wolf, Wolfs son,\" said the Crow, \"only harm not my child,\" and immediately flew away as swiftly as an arrow. The Grey Wolf waited one day, he waited two days, he waited three days, and on the fourth day the she-crow came flying with two little bottles of water in her beak. Then Grey Wolf tore the fledgling into pieces. He sprinkled the pieces with the water of death and they instantly grew to gether; he sprinkled the dead body with the water of life and the fledgling shook itself and flew away with the she-crow, safe and sound. Grey Wolf then sprinkled the pieces of the body of Ivan with the water of death and they grew together; he sprinkled the dead body with the water of life, and Ivan stood up, stretched himself, and said : \" How long I must have slept!\" \"Yes, Ivan,\" the Grey Wolf said, \"and you would have slept for ever had it not been for me. For your brothers cut you into pieces and took away with them the Czar's beautiful daughter, the horse with the golden mane, and the Glowing Bird. Make haste now and mount on my back, for your brother Wassily is to marry Helen the Beautiful to-day.\" Ivan made haste to mount, and the Grey Wolf began running, swifter than a hundred

GREAT BILLIARD PLAYERS Compared. By JOHN ROBERTS. H. W. STEVENSON (Born 1874. Record break—802). GEORGE GRAY (Born 1892. Record break—2,196). EDWARD DIGGLE (Born 1864. Record break—985). MELBOURNE INMAN (Born 1878. Record break^625). T. REECE (Born 1876. Record breaks ^-645 all-round: 499,135 unfinished, including 249,552 \"anchor\" cannons). f]HIS article deals with a phase of billiards which has hitherto received but scant notice from writers on the game. My intention is to describe the individual playing character istics which differentiate our great billiardists. The game is capable of such infinite and beautiful variety that it affords its votaries ample scope to stamp their personality on their billiards, to display style and scoring methods essentially their own. H. \\V. Stevenson. ©Commencing with thecham- pion, H. \\\\. Stevenson, we see a player whose style pro claims his ability as soon as he handles a cue. The inde finable quality which is a sure indication ofa high-class player pervades his every action at the billiard - table. It was apparent enough to the trained observer when Stevenson first commenced to play in public, and I well remember predicting that he would be champion some day, after playing a game or two with him when he was H\"ift( A .*••„<. \" . ' Sport <t Qentral. JOHN ROBERTS. a mere stripling. My readers will be doubt less interested to learn that I think young Newman, the lad I have been playing in public of late, has an abundance of the best of billiards in him, and should develop into one of the greatest cuemen the game has ever seen. In fact, I shall be much astonished if he does not reach the top of the tree, and very soon. Returning to Stevenson, we find his game marked by a very free and attractive style. He plays quickly and easily, and exploits closer billiards than any other player. When the balls are together he is a past master of the art of coaxing the last point out of them before allowing them to separate. In this connection I do not refer to nursery cannons alone, although Stevenson plays them as well as any of our cuemen. But he does more than this—much more ; he keeps the balls close together, to gain and retain position for the alternating cannon and red winning hazard known as the \" top of the table game,\" the scoring method first introduced by me when the old spot-stroke threatened to kill

348 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. phase of the game, thanks to his wonderful winning-hazard striking, which enabled him to pocket the red ball from almost any position with absolute certainty. But I.—THE TOP-OF-THE-TABLE GAME—CLEVER PI.AY BY STEVENSON. Stevenson prefers to tap the balls judiciously until the red is nicely placed adjacent to one of the top pockets. Then down it goes, and the cue-ball glides on to the desired position for a continuance of the top of the table break. It is all very simple to look at, is this tip- tap business at the spot end of the table, but it is really a typical illustration of the art which conceals art. Our first diagram depicts a characteristic stroke at the \"top.\" Obviously, there is a plain, fine, ball-to-ball cannon presented from white to red, and the stroke as a scoring effort by itself is well within the powers of thousands of ordinary players. But Stevenson plays it with plenty of running side on the cue-ball, which just clips the edges of,both object-balls, and then runs on as shown by the dotted line in the diagram until, after contact with the top and side cushions, it comes to rest at the spot indicated by a cross in the drawing. This leaves the balls in an ideal position, as a plain, gentle cannon will drive the object white over towards the billiard spot and drop the red close to the top pocket. But how different it would have been if the champion had struck either of the two balls a little too. thick or too hard, or if he had not imparted just the right amount of side and pace to the cue-ball to gain the desired position via two cushions. He had to think of all these things when apparently playing for a stroke which seems quite straightforward and free from guile, and when I explain that the same combination of thought and execution is demanded by numerous other positions at the top of the table, my readers will under stand why this side of billiards is so deceptive to watch. They should practise the stroke; it will improve their control of the balls—a weak spot, indeed, in the game of so many amateurs. It must not be hastily concluded that because Stevenson is so adept at' nursing the balls in the lucrative spot area he is averse to playing a brilliant all - round stroke when occasion demands it. This is not the case by a long way. but the champion's supreme skill controls the balls so exquisitely that he seldom has occasion to bring out the big stroke he holds in reserve to cope with exceptional difficulties. But when he has to make a full call on his billiard powers to master an individual stroke, he may he depended upon to exhibit daring and brilliant cuemanship of the highest order. His abilities in this direction are shown in the stroke depicted in our second illustration.. 2.—ALL-ROUND CANNON BY THE CHAMPION. The balls are in a well-nigh hopeless position. They are covered, the cue-ball is almost

GREAT BILLIARD PLAYERS. 349 Before quit ting Steven son's game I really must de scribe the man ner in whichhe so f r e-quently brings the balls intoposition at the head of the table by means of a cannonplayed from balk. Asarule, the fami liar \"drop\" cannon is uti lized for thispurpose, but there is a cer tain cannon much favoured: -fi« *,^S • ^x^ .\\ '' /\\. \\//\\i'.V \\\\)YZ -^*\\3. — A POSITIONAL CANNON.by Stevenson which scarcely comes under this heading The red is almost in the centre of the table, 4.—STEERING THE BALLS TO THE \"TOP.\" the billiard spot, and white balls in the same side cushions, thus opening table game by one well-thought-out slightly above the middle pocket, the white ball is farther still up the table, and well to the right of the red. And as the cue- ball is in hand, an almost limit less vista of scoring possi- b i 1 i t i e s is opened up. But Stevenson plays the can non shown in our third dia gram, a clever stroke which sends the cue- ball off the second object on towards steers the red and direction via the up the top of the stroke. This is very characteristic of the champion, as he always takes the shortest available route to his happy hunting-ground for points in the vicinity of the billiard spot. Another very pretty positional cannon frequently exploited by Stevenson is shown in our fourth diagram. The cue - ball is in hand, and a glance at the drawing shows the two object-balls placed so that a ball-to-ball cannon off the red is as simple a stroke as the veriest tyro could desire. The actual score is nothing; it is the positional potentialities of the stroke that count. Stevenson shows his appreciation of

35° THE STRAND MAGAZINE. stroke was barred. Gray's game is more difficult and wonderful than the spot stroke ever was. I could write an article in sup port of this statement, and may do so on some future occasion ; but at present I must leave the bare assertion to be dealt with by my critics and readers according to their own ideas on the point. Gray's playing attitude is the first charac teristic of his billiards which strikes even the most casual observer. His method doubtless has its merits, but it is not every one who can hope to bring his chin down almost on the cue for stroke after stroke. For instance, I do not see how a man my build could adapt himself to the Gray pose without the finer parls of his billiards suffering. However, I will not labour the point. The stance suits Gray very well, and there is no gainsaying the fact that when we see George Gray at the table we behold a veritable billiard marvel. His scoring methods are so familiar, in a broad sense, that everybody has come to regard him as an irresistible manipulator of losing hazards off the red ball. So he is, but he is also an exceptionally good winning-hazard striker, and he makes many grand strokes with marvellous precision when he has to pocket the red to gain position for his favourite game. In addition, he plays plain - ball strokes off several cushions with unerring judgment, and even that fine exponent of all-round cannons, Fred Weiss (another Australian, by the way), has no greater knowledge of the angles of a billiard-table than that pos sessed by Gray. But the unique feature of Gray's a 11- round strokes is that he plays them without imparting any side to the cue - ball. He depends solely on accurate ball - striking working in unison with supreme judg ment of the course of a ball after contact with several 5.—GRAY'S THKEE- QUARTER RUN-THROUGH. cushions. His ability in this direction was great enough to break down Inman's safety- play time after time in their match. His magnificent winning hazards I have already mentioned, and I have purposely emphasized these points in an endeavour to eradicate the popular idea that Gray is only a one-

GREAT BILLIARD PLAYERS. 351 Gray would handle it as shown in the diagram, thus obtaining posi tion for his strongest game in one stroke, exactly as Stevenson goes for the top of the table with out delay. 7.—GRAY PLAYS THE TOP POCKET. Our eighth diagram de picts a stroke Gray plays fairly often, as it is the key stroke which opens the middle - pocket game when it is temporarily lost through striking the red with insufficient force. It is the long loser into the top pocket well known to generations of billiard players, but Gray makes it differently to other leading players, who usually play it the merest shade thicker than a true half - ball and bring the red round off three cushions, as in dicated by the intersected line in the diagram. But Gray plays an absolutely pure half-ball, which sends the red on the path shown by the continuous line. The 8. — HOW GRAY PLAYS THE LONG LOSER. difference in placing the cue-ball is too slight dimensions, but the stroke as Gray plays it is to be shown in a drawing of any practicable undoubtedly sounder and more scientific, as the angle the red ball makes off the last cushion increases the area in which an easy hazard may be left. Lindrum plays more of these long losers than anybody ; he uses the top pockets as Gray does the middles, and when well set in a red ball break keeps on putting the cue-ball into either top pocket in

352 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. 10.—DIGGLE'S CANNON FOR POSITION. table, but here Diggle is seen controlling the red ball in cha racteristic style. It would be injudicious to pocket the ball, and top of the table position is lost if a losing hazard is left. But Diggle would never fall into either of these errors. He would dip his cue-tip towards the cloth, give the red a tap with that indescribable cue delivery of his, and the red would assuredly stop to a fractional part of an inch exactly where it was intended to halt, just as though it were a living thing obeying a word of command. And when the balls are farther apart Diggle is con stantly playing clever strokes to bring the spheres into ideal position. One of these is illustrated in our eleventh diagram. The cue-ball is in hand, and the object white is just on that awkward spot where a losing hazard is not playable, while the red is too far over for a plain ball-to- ball cannon to present a good opening. It can be made with out much diffi culty by hitting the white rather fine, but a leave is somewhat lucky if the stroke is thus played. The n.—DIGGLE'S \"GATHERING\" s e m i - r u n - CANNON. through with C side direct on to the red has its merits, but again the element of chance enters into the question of after-position to no inconsiderable extent. Diggle reduces this element to its absolute minimum by playing the cannon in the manner indicated in the diagram. Utilizing a good deal of left side on the cue - ball, he misses the red direct, completes the cannon off the top cushion, and brings the balls together. Taking him altogether, Edward Diggle may safely be written down as the greatest master of three-ball positional billiards pure and simple now before the public, and this is why he is apt to break down at what appear to be exceedingly easy strokes. The fact is that he

GREAT BILLIARD PLAYERS. 353 Our first Inman stroke (12) shows .how he eliminates the last atom of positional risk. The red ball is about ten inches from the left top pocket, with the cue- ball near the side cushion which the red clears nicely. On the oppo site side of the table the white ball lies a foot from the top cushion, and just far enough from the side cushion to render a losing fl 12. —POSITIONAL WINNF.R BY INMAN. hazard from hand too difficult to attempt if it can avoided. Several positional strokes can be played, as the cue - ball is close enough to the red to make the winning hazard into the top pocket a certainty. A stab stroke might lead up to top of the table position after a stroke or two. A following stroke on to the top cushion would leave the easy stereotyped loser off the red into the oppo site top pocket. But neither of these appealed to Inman ; he was anxious to free the badly-placed white without delay, so he pocketed the red with a free stroke played with left side on the cue-ball and obtained the leave indicated by the dotted line in the diagram. This enabled him to make a simple loser off the white and bring D- Vol. xliii.-24. C 13.—INMAN'S FORCING LOSKR. all three balls into the game. Inman is a skilled expo nent of forcing losing hazards into either the middle or top pockets, and he gets them with commendable accuracy when screw, in addi tion to force, has to be called into requisi tion. One of these strokes is shown in our thirteenth dia gram, and one would have to watch Inman play for a very long time before one saw him miss any stroke of this character.

354 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. strokes must be seen to be properly appre ciated. It would need a billiard poet to do them justice in words. I have often seen him play to hit a ball without moving it in the least from its position on the cloth, just shaking it, so to speak—the kind of thing often seen in an ordinary game when a cannon is as near missed as it can be without actually failing to score. To make this' tremorous contact with the first object- ball deliberately and with set purpose is, in my opinion, as difficult a feat as any cueman can be asked to perform if the target-ball is less than a foot from the cue-ball. The possible range of the shot is very short, but whenever it is on and it is the game to play it, Reece handles it with inimitable delicacy and precision. on the object- ball, which caused it to re bound from the cushion and avoid the kiss, the cue - ball describing a loop, as shown As might be expected from one so fond of close cannons, Reece frequently finds the balls in a position which demands the masse stroke. He plays these beautiful curling strokes with great effect, and when it comes to showing what can be done with the up-lifted cue-butt Reece is the man I should pick to represent British billiardists. It is admitted that the American and Continental cannon-players are in a class by themselves as regards masse and pique strokes, but their bigger cues and larger balls make it difficult to set up a fair standard of comparison. But Reece is not only good at masse strokes to extricate himself from difficulties. He has taken to using the stroke for positional purposes—quite a novelty in English billiards, and a development which may have a far- reaching influ ence on the top of the table game. Diagram fif teen illustrates a stroke of this description played by Reece a short time ago against me in an exhi bition game at a private house. The balls are so placed that it is difficult indeed to miss the cannon, but Reece makes the cue-ball curl between both object-balls and leaves ideal top of the table position unobtainable in any other manner. During the same evening he brought off the charming masse losing hazard depicted in our sixteenth diagram. As shown by the artist, the balls are so close to each other that the hazard seems out of the game. Reece manipulated a wonderful masse, playing rather full, a little to the right

A Prolific Ckess Protl By T. B. ROWLAND. THE problem given is connected with so many curious coincidences that it is worthy of atten tion in the pages of THE STRAND MAGAZINE. There is no doubt that chess problem composers, like most music composers, have their peculiarities, and often times display in their work such a disregard of the work of others as to cause similarity of idea, uncon scious imitation, or unintended plagiarism. Such. however, is not to be wondered at, considering that all work with the one medium. As far as we know, no charge of direct copying has been made, as, when a resemblance occurs, it is passed over as a mere coinci dent or accidental likeness. At the same time some problems are so alike in both construction and idea as to make one believe in telepathy or thought-trans ference. Mr. Alain ('. White, of New York, is doing much to detect such similarities. He classifies all available problems, and then compares new produc tions with those in the class each belongs to. By this means man)' a problem has been disqualihed or debarred in competitions, justice is done, and honour goes to whom honour is due. The ways of arranging chessmen are unlimited, ideas are unlimited, and mating positions are unlimited, yet it is curious to note that there are cases in which as many as a score of different composers claim to l>e the originator of the one problem. In the following examples the problems with mottoes are by myself. Here is a case in point :— No. i—PRIMA FACIE. BLACK. It is a simple two-mover, but, if it had a tongue, it \" could a tale unfold.\" It is so far curious that it becomes a three-mover (as. please note, all we are about to give now are) on being turned to the righl, the left, or upside down. Further, it embodies all the coincidences «e are about to show. Having set it up. give the board a quarter turn to the left—that is, turn the side of the board which faces you to the left, em and then play from the side facing you, as you would from White's side. We have :— No. 2.—IPSO FACTO. The various phases of the problem could be followed clearly if the solver made a diagram of each position and then placed them in their order. Having solved the problem before us, give the board another quarter turn to the left, and we get :— No. 3.—PASSE-PARTOUT. It would be well to give this a BLACK, little study, as the key-move will reveal the solutions of all that fol low. When done with it, give the board another quarter turn to the left, then remove the White king to Q R 2, and we introduce :— No. 4.—ALTER IDEM. Move this position one square up, and we produce :— No. 5.—A LA P. T. DL'FFY. Now replace the While king on K Kt 2,'give the board a quarter turn to the right, and we get :— No. 6.—R. SCHOSCHIN. Here, without in any way moving the position or turning the hoard, we have :— WHITE. No. 3.

356 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. No. ii.—LA MEME CHOSE. And, still more surprising, by giving the board a quarter turn to the right we get :—• No. 12.—P. H. WILLIAMS. Here reverse positions of queen and pawn—that is, place queen at K 7 and pawn at Q R 4, and we have :— No. 13.—GEMINI. This has also appeared with the White king on Q B 8, Q Kt 8, and other squares—other composers having worked on the idea. Place the White king on K Kt 6, replace Q on Q B 7, and put the pawn on Q Kt 7, then give the board a half turn round, and we have:— No. 14.—A LA F. M. TEED. BLACK. This, it will be seen, is our initial problem with the While king and pawn transposed, and, like it, it may be turned to the right, the left, or upside down, moved, Solutions to Last \"Month s Chess Curiosities. No. i.- 2.- 3-- 4-- 5-- 6.- 7- 8.- 9- 10.- II.- 12.- '3-- '4-- II•I•I•I•I•1•I•I-I•I-I•I•1WHITE.. B— R4, ch.. Q— Kt i.ch.. K— Kt 2,if. K-B 2,. B— B8,. B— Kt 8,• Q-Q 3,• Q-Q 4,- Q-Q 5,. B-Q 7, ch,. B— B 7, ch,. K-Q4,• K-Q 5,. P queens,BLACK.K moves ;K moves ;K— BS;P— Kt 6 ;K— KS;K-K4;K— 84;K— Kt 5 ;K— Kt 4 ;K-Kt 3 ;K— 82;K-K2;P-Kt 5 ;P— 86;P moves ;2.2.2.222.2.t.».a.2.3-2.2.2.2.WHITE.P moves, etc.Q takes P, etc.B— B 6, etc.K— B 3, etc.B— K 6, etc.P— Kt 4, etc.P— R 4, etc.Q— K Kt 3,ch,etc.Q— K Kt 4,ch,etc.Q— K Kt s,ch,etc.P— R 6, P— K 4 ;Q takes P, etc. •P— Kt 6, etc. iQ — K 5, mate.Q — K 4, mate.Q takes P, etc. reversed, transposed, or changed in as many ways, one of the finest productions being :— No. 15.—MRS. W. J. BAIRD. BLACK. WHITE. This is a beautiful conception, and distinctly marked with originality. The fair authoress is gifted in this way. Kile <) de la grdfe dans tout te qit'elle fait. In one variation his sable majesty has three, and in another four, flight squares out of the hitherto cul-de-sac. The solutions will duly appear in next issue, in which we hope to give even a more curious problem having the same construction. Solutions to Last Month's Bridge Problem. A Y B Spades 10 Spades 4 Hearts king Spades 6 Hearts queen Hearts 9 Hearts_s Diamonds kve. Clubs 10 Hearts 3 Spades ace Diamonds 4 Spades queen The winning

PERPLEXITIES. By Henry E. Dudeney. 82.—THE TEN PRISONERS. IF prisons had no other use they might still be pre served for the special benefit of puzzle-makers! They appear to be an inexhaustible mine of perplexing ideas. Here is a little poser that will perhaps interest the reader for a short period. We have in the illustration a prison of sixteen cells. The locations of the ten prisoners will be seen. The jailer has queer super stitions about odd and even numbers, and he wants to rearrange the ten prisoners so that there shall be as many even rows of mcri vertically, horizontally, and f jf tf diagonally as i Jf *. * possible. At t*tr*tji*^ present it will be seen, as in dicated by the arrows, that there are only twelve such \\rows of 2 and 4. I will state at once that the greatest number of such rows that is possible is sixteen. But the jailer only allows four men to be removed to other cells, and informs me that, as the man who is seated in the bottom right-hand corner is infirm, he must not be moved. Now, how are we to get those sixteen rows of even numbers under such conditions ? 83.—A PRINTER'S ERROR. IN a certain article a printer had to set up the figures 5'.21, which, of course, means that the fourth power of 5 (625) is to be multiplied by the cube of 2 (8), the product of which is 5,000. But he printed 54.23 as 5423, which is not correct. Can you place four digits in the manner shown so that it will be equally correct if the printer sets it up aright or makes the same blunder ? 84.—A CHESS PUZZLE. IT will be seen in the diagram that the Black king has only one move—towards the knight.; Can you rearrange the three White pieces so that the king (who must not be moved from his present square) shall be in check with no possible move open to him ? \" In other words,\" the reader will say, \" the king is to be shown checkmated.\" Well, you can use the term if you wish, though I intentionally do not employ it myself. . The mere fact that there is no White king on the \"board would alone be a sufficient reason for my not doing so. Solutions to Last Month's Puzzles. • . • •'*| THE DOMINO FRAME PUZZLE SOLUTION. ••»•[•••. VI Vi »*»!»*• »*»!,*« !••.• •!•••• | .«»»!«» » 78.—THE DOMINO FRAME PUZZLE.

CURIOSITIES. [We shall be glad to receive Contributions to this section, and to pay for suck as are accepted.] A DETECTIVE PIPE. ONE often hears the expression, \" eyes in the back of one's head.\"- Here4s another way of seeing behind you. The pipe shown is called the \" Detec tive,\" and the obvious use of the mirrors is to enable the sleuth-hound of the law to watch the movements ' :—i of those behind or at the side of him. -Sir A. L'onan Doyle's hero, Sherlock Holmes, is seldom without a pipe, but I have yet to see him depicted smoking a \" Detective.\"—Mr. Hal. Jones, 99, Kussell Avenue, Wood Green, N. THE BRITISH LION UP TO DATE. IT is difficult to recognize our friend, the British Lion, in the accompanying photograph. This effigy formed part of the Coronation procession at Kuala Lumpur, and the Tamil's idea of the British Lion is certainly quaint. Note especially the anklets, which give the finishing touch to this work of art. The photograph was taken by my friend, Mr. R. E. Morris.—Mr. F. H. Goodwin, 27, Alresford Road, Irlarns o' th\" Height, Manchester. THE AFRICAN DIP. HIS is a new amusement device, _ known as the African Dip, which is installed at a beach resort in Southern California. The negro sits on a board above a canvas cistern full of water, and the pleasure - seekers stand about twenty feet away and throw base-balls at the disc beside him. When this is hit it springs a trigger, and the board on which the negro sits falls from under him and he drops into the water with a great splash. He enjoys the fun as much as anybody, however, and comes up with a flash of white teeth and rolling eyes, and, taking his seat again, urges the crowd to repeat the performance. — Mr. C. L. Edholm, 4,624, Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, Cal., - U.S.A. T

CURIOSITIES. 359 AN UNSOLVED ENIGMA. CAN any readers of THE STRAND supply the answer to this enigma ? It is by Lord Thurlow, and the answer, although it undoubtedly has one, is not easily found. Although you boast, thro' ages dark, Your pedigree from Noah's Ark, Painted on parchment nice ; I'm older yet—for I was there— Than that, because I did appear With Eve in Paradise. For I was Adam, Adam I, I was Eve, and Eve was I, In spite of wind and weather ; But mark me, Adam was not I, Neither was Mrs. Adam I, Unless we were together ! Suppose, then, Eve and Adam talking, With all my heart, but if they're walking There ends all simile ; Tho' I've a tongue, and often talk. And tho' I've legs, yet when I walk It puts an end to me. Not such an end but that I've breath ; Therefore to such a kind of death I've not the least objection ; For soon I rise again to view, And iho' a Christian, yet 'tis true I die by resurrection ! —Mrs. M. Elton, Christchurch Rd., Winchester, Hants. THE FIRST SAVINGS BANK. IT was in this cottage in the little village of Ruth- well, half-wav between Annan and Dumfries, that the first savings bank was instituted in 1810 by the Rev. Henry Duncan, D.D., minister of the parish. At first he experienced great diffi culty through the reluctance of the people to trust their money to him, they evidently fearing that he had some private end of his own to serve in taking possession of their savings. To overcome this difficulty a box was provided with three padlocks, which could only be opened in the presence of the three different holders of the keys.—Mr. John Crail, High Street, Annan. A HOME-MADE ORGAN. I AM sending you a photograph, taken by myself, of an organ which was played in the streets of Leicester. It was con structed and played by Mr. J. Dayton, a bootmaker, of Leeds, in his spare time, out of zinc tubing and old boxes. It has a keyboard made of strips of wood, with two complete octaves. Mr. Dayton was out of work last summer, and travelled through the Midlands playing this organ in order to earn his living.—Mr. W. A. Larrad, 124, Willow Street, Leicester. FOSSILIXED FISH. ' I \" HERE recently came into my possession X the extraordinary fossil here showu. The stone measures twenty-one by nineteen inches, and was taken from a reef two hun dred feet up a mountain in the Orange River Colony. The stone from where it was taken was four feet thick, and when split the fossil fish were found in the centre. I am having it reproduced as a trade mark, as it is par

THE STRAND MAGAZINE. A \" CAMELEPHAN rELOPELICANTEATEK- MI NEWT.\" IN the \" Curiosities \" pages of a recent number of THE STRAND MAGAZINE Mr. Mandeville B. Phillips challenged artists to depict the animal (?) named above. The last time I was in the country where these monsters abound—namely, \" Khan-tel-e- ware \"—I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity of making the accompanying sketch of a very fine specimen indeed, which I think will satisfy Mr. Phillips that such a creature is possible, though highly improb able. This remarkable hybrid-is \"formed as follows : The hump and hind-qnarters of a camel, the head of an elephant, with the horns and front legs of an antelope, while the lower jaw, pouch, and back legs are those of a pelican. The snout and tongue of an ant- eater, the fur of an ermine, and the tail of a newt complete the picture. I am informed on good authority that one little \" wag \" of this monster's tail is sufficient to shatter even such an immense structure as St. Paul's Cathedral ! —Mr. R. J. Brothers, Woodcote, Ashford, Kent. AN EASILY-MADE MOUSE-TRAP. A SIMPLE and effective mouse-trap is easily and quickly made as follows : Stick a match into a piece of cheese, pare the other end of the match, and place the tip on a thimble on the rim of a plate. Place a basin on the match and thimble. If the whole is carefully poised, as soon as the mouse touclies the cheese the basin will fall and imprison the mouse.—Mr. Thomas E. Maw, Public Library, Luton. In Our &£umber will commence CONAN DOYLE'S Great New Adventure Story, guaranteed to give a thrill to the most jaded reader of fiction : \"The Lost World\" Being an account of the recent amazing adventures of Professor George E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Professor Summerlee, and Mr. E. D. Malone of the London Gazette. Qood judges who have read this eventful chronicle are of opinion that in Professor Challenger, as in Sherlock Holmes, Conan 'Doyle has added a new, original, and permanent type to the portrait gallery of {British fiction-