A Tricky String Puzzle
Take a piece of string about a yard long and tie the ends together, making a loop. Passing this loop through the ring of a key, hang it upon the extended thumbs of a friend, as in [Fig. 27]. The strings are crossed. The trick is to remove the key without taking the string from the other person’s thumbs.
Fig. 27.—Showing string upon extended thumbs.
Fig. 28.—Second stage of string trick.
Fig. 29.—Showing mode of freeing key from string.
To understand the diagrams it will be necessary to remember the following explanations of the letters used in [Fig. 28].
A and B are the hands of the person just described whose thumbs bear the string.
C and D are your own hands, left and right respectively.
E is the hand of a third person who holds the key.
F and G are the two sides of the loop.
Begin by catching the string F on your little finger of C and G on the little finger of D, as in [Fig. 28]. Now transfer the string from the little finger of C to the thumb of B, and thus free your hand C.
Between the forefinger and thumb of B you must take the string G between the key and A.
Now catch this part you have taken round the thumb of B, slip the string from the little finger of D, and when E pulls the key, it will come quite free from the string ([Fig. 29]).