ke the removals
by jumping one almond over another to the vacant square beyond and
taking off the one jumped over--just as in draughts, only here you can
jump in any direction, and not diagonally only. The point is to do the
thing in the fewest possible moves."

The following specimen attempt will make everything clear. Jump 4 over
1, 5 over 9, 3 over 6, 5 over 3, 7 over 5 and 2, 4 over 7, 8 over 4. But
8 is not left in the central square, as it should be. Remember to remove
those you jump over. Any number of jumps in succession with the same
almond count as one move.

[Illustration]

230.--THE TWELVE PENNIES.

Here is a pretty little puzzle that only requires twelve pennies or
counters. Arrange them in a circle, as shown in the illustration. Now
take up one penny at a time and, passing it over two pennies, place it
on the third penny. Then take up another single penny and do the same
thing, and so on, until, in six such moves, you have the coins in six
pairs in the positions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. You can move in either
direction round the circle at every play, and it does not matter
whether the two jumped over are separate or a pair. This is quite easy
if you use just a little thought.

[Illustration]

231.--PLATES AND COINS.

Place twelve plates, as shown, on a round table, with a penny or orange
in every plate. Start from any plate you like and, always going in one
direction round the table, take up one penny, pass it over two other
pennies, and place it in the next plate. Go on again; take up another
penny and, having passed it over two pennies, place it in a plate; and
so continue your journey. Six coins only are to be removed, and when
these have been placed there should be two coins in each of six plates
and six plates empty. An important point of the puzzle is to go round
the table as few times as possible. It does not matter whether the two
coins passed over are in one or two plates, nor how many empty plates
you pass a coin over. But you must always go in one direction round the
table and end at the point from which you set out. Your hand, that is to
say, goes steadily forward in one direction, without ever moving
backwards.

[Illustration]

232.--CATCHING THE MICE.

[Illustration]

"Play fair!" said the mice. "You know the rules of the game."

"Yes, I know the rules," said the cat. "I've got to go round and round
the circle, in the direction that you are looking, and eat every
thirteenth m