14 June 2008

Barleycorn Bay

See earlier puzzles for, er, something of an explanation.

“Now listen close-like,” said my new friend, “'cos I'm only going to say this once. All the inhabitants of Barleycorn Bay, and I've met them each and every one, are either heroes or vagabonds. Or both. Every one of the heroes is blonde; every one of the vagabonds is a magician, except for any that be Quakers; and all the magicians are nanny goats. Every one that isn't a walrus isn't a ruminant.”

“Isn't a what?” I said.

“And every living soul in Barleycorn Bay that isn't clean-shaven is red-headed, excepting the nanny goats of course. Needless to say,” he added, scratching his beard with a steel hook, “there are no clean-shaven pirates.”

I thought it over for a while. “Is there such a thing,” I wondered aloud, “as a nanny goat that's also a walrus?”

“I reckon there could be,” he replied, “although I've never met one.”

“What about a blonde redhead?”

“Don't be ridiculous.”

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