Cloisters December 2005

Paul's Puzzles are a new feature for Cloisters and the New Curiosity Shop. This is hosted by Paul Holmes, our newly resident puzzle hound. We'll let him introduce himself.

"Puzzles have been a fascination for me for as long as I can remember. Puzzles of all sorts: logic puzzles; number and word brain teasers; and more recently, SuDoku. I love the challenge of a conundrum, especially where it seems there is not enough information.

"I was lucky enough to meet Noel and Mark in Edinburgh, where we were all researching Astronomy. Our common fascination with puzzles helped us in our attempts to winkle out the Universe's secrets.

"In the coming months I will present a range of riddles, some tough and some a little more straightforward for those with just ten minutes to spare at lunchtime.

"Feedback on these puzzles would be most welcome. Perhaps you want to query the answer, add an observation, or request a puzzle which is more challenging. Just let me know."

Paul Holmes works in Bradford and lives in Ilkley where his hobbies include racketball, presenting quizzes for charity, drinking beer and gazing skyward on starry nights. He can be contacted via The New Curiosity Shop

This month we introduce Paul's Puzzle, created by the NCS prime puzzler Paul Holmes. As it is a Christmas puzzle, we are giving away a special prize of a free NCS course of your choice for the lucky winner. Submit your answer using the form below before 15th February 2006 to have a chance of winning. The first correct entry out of the hat will win the prize. The judge's decision shall be final.

Christmas Panto Puzzle

There were four brave warrior brothers who heard a terrible tale of a beautiful princess who was held captive in a tower near the edge of the desert. The evil sultan had kept this hapless girl captive for years and the four brothers decided that this was intolerable, and set out immediately to rescue her. Once they found the tower they were disappointed to find that they had been misled. The princess was not only as ugly as sin, but she was not imprisoned either. It had all been a cunning ruse by the sultan to attract brave princes to her rescue, and then to coerce them into marriage.

Far from being gallant, however, the four brothers were downright blunt as to the full extent of her plainness. The sultan, usually a patient man, was so incensed by the brothers rudeness, that he ordered them buried up to their necks in the sand, and then humiliated them by placing silly dunces hats on their heads.

When he later emerged from his palace to vent his displeasure with the brothers, he discovered that they had been buried with the eldest brother on the north side of a wall facing south, and the three younger brothers on the south side of the wall facing north. As they were all in a straight line, the eldest brother (who was wearing a black hat) could see nothing but wall, the second brother (who was wearing a white hat) could see nothing but the wall, the third brother (who was wearing a black hat) could see nothing but the wall and the back of his brother’s head (and his white hat), and the youngest brother (who was wearing a white hat) could see the wall, the back of two brothers' heads and their hats.

“If you wish to escape with your miserable lives”, said the sultan, “simply shout out as soon as you know the colour of your hat. All I will tell you is that there are two white hats and two blacks hats. Hurry now.”

Striding away, the Sultan turned and called “I say, is that a scorpion”.

The brothers thought quickly and very soon they were riding home with their lives but without the princess.

Who had shouted out?

Note: the deadline for this puzzle has past:

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