The price of the banana must have been one penny farthing. Thus, 960 bananas would cost £5, and 480 sixpences would buy 2,304 bananas.
[3.—AT A CATTLE MARKET.—solution]
Jakes must have taken 7 animals to market, Hodge must have taken 11, and Durrant must have taken 21. There were thus 39 animals altogether.
[4.—THE BEANFEAST PUZZLE.—solution]
The cobblers spent 35s., the tailors spent also 35s., the hatters spent 42s., and the glovers spent 21s. Thus, they spent altogether £6,13s., while it will be found that the five cobblers spent as much as four tailors, twelve tailors as much as nine hatters, and six hatters as much as eight glovers.
[5.—A QUEER COINCIDENCE.—solution]
Puzzles of this class are generally solved in the old books by the tedious process of "working backwards." But a simple general solution is as follows: If there are n players, the amount held by every player at the end will be m(2n), the last winner must have held m(n+1) at the start, the next m(2n+1), the next m(4n+1), the next m(8n+1), and so on to the first player, who must have held m(2n-1n+1).