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Riddles of the Stolen Ingredients

In a whimsical trial set in a land of riddles, the King and Queen of Hearts investigate the theft of various ingredients needed for cakes, leading to a series of accusations among the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse. Each character's statements reveal a tangled web of truth and lies, complicating the search for the true culprit. Ultimately, the mystery culminates in the discovery of the cakes by the White Rabbit, but the court struggles to determine the guilt of the Griffin and the Mock Turtle.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
15 views5 pages

Riddles of the Stolen Ingredients

In a whimsical trial set in a land of riddles, the King and Queen of Hearts investigate the theft of various ingredients needed for cakes, leading to a series of accusations among the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse. Each character's statements reveal a tangled web of truth and lies, complicating the search for the true culprit. Ultimately, the mystery culminates in the discovery of the cakes by the White Rabbit, but the court struggles to determine the guilt of the Griffin and the Mock Turtle.

Translated by

ScribdTranslations
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

—And you?

—roared the King to


Raymond Smullyan Alicia in the land of riddles
Hatter, who trembled
like a leaf—. What
CHAPTER 2 Is it just a coincidence that you are the culprit?

The Mad Hatter was unable


Who stole the cakes? to articulate a single word;
solo breathable
The Queen of Hearts made some tarts one summer's day; in a stuttering manner and gave
The Jack of Hearts stole the cakes and took them far away. sips of tea.
(Ancient children's poem) If you have nothing to
THEFIRSTSTORY saying that shows his guilt
ability —said the Queen—, so
"Why don't you make me some pastries?" asked the King of Hearts to the Queen. that will leave him headless
of Hearts a fresh summer day. immediately!
What sense does it make to make cakes without jam? said the furious Queen. —No, no, —he pleaded the
jam is the best! Hatter—. One of us-
Well, put some jam on it, said the King. She stole it, but it wasn't me!
I can't! -shouted the Queen- They have stolen it from me! —Take note of that!
—But goodness! —said the King—. This is quite serious! Who has stolen it? said the King to the jury. This
How do you want me to know who stole it? If I knew, I would have recovered it. test can result in addition
a long time ago, and with it the head of the scoundrel! importance!
The King ordered his soldiers to embark on the search for the jam. And what's wrong with you?
missing, and was found in the house of the March Hare, the Mad Hatter and —continued the King with the Li-
the Dormouse. The three were immediately arrested and tried. rón—. What do you have to say?
Let's see! exclaimed the King in the trial. I want to get to the bottom of all this! to all this? Have they said the
I don't like people coming into my kitchen and stealing my jam! March Hare y the
"Why not?" asked one of the guinea pigs. The truth about the hat maker?
"Eliminate that guinea pig!" shouted the Queen. The guinea pig was eliminated. At least one did —replied the Dormouse, who fell asleep for the rest of the trial.
moment. (Those who have readAlice in Wonderlandwill remember the following As revealed by the subsequent investigation, the March Hare and the Dormouse did not say
Meaning of the word suppress: The court officials put the guinea pig in a bag both the truth.
they close it with ropes and sit on top. Who stole the jam?
And now —said the King when the shock of the suppression had passed
guinea pig—, I want to get to the bottom of all this! [Link]
—You've already said that —pointed out a second guinea pig. (This guinea pig
it was likewise suppressed instantly. Now that we have recovered the jam, said the King, you can make the
Did you happen to steal the jam? asked the King to the March Hare. cakes.
I didn't steal the jam! declared the March Hare. (At that moment everyone How am I supposed to make cakes without flour?} —asked the Queen.
The remaining guinea pigs cheered her, being immediately suppressed. "Do you mean to say that they have stolen the flour?" shouted the King.

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—Yes! —said the Queen. —Really? —I said mockingly surprised.
Grab the scoundrel and let him go. Of course not! And what's more, I don't think any other
without header Has anyone heard it? Had any of you heard it before?
Wel, wel Todos los niños negaron con la cabeza.
said the King, do not us -Well -I said- for the purposes of this story you-
let's precipitate. let's say that those who steal pepper never tell the truth.
But the flour had to “Alright,” said Alicia somewhat doubtfully.
s e r search Continuing with the story, the main suspect was the
Naturally the cooker of the Duchess. In the trial, she only made one statement:
found in the house of the I know who stole the pepper!
March Hare Assuming that the people who steal pepper
Mad Hatter and the They always lie, is the cook guilty or innocent?
Dormouse, and consequently
they were immediate 4. SO, WHO STOLE THE PEPPER?
detained and judged.
In the trial of the Hare The following suspects of the King were the Hare of
in March declared that the Mad Hatter had stolen it. The Mad Hatter and the Lory also March, the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse. Soldiers were sent to his house, but they could not.
they declared, but for some reason their statements were not collected and I cannot to find any pepper. Since they could have hidden it somewhere, they went
to say which ones they were. But, as it finally came to light, only one of the three had stolen. detained by principle.
the flour, and he was the only one who told the truth. In the trial, the Hare declared that the Hatter was innocent and the Hatter declared
Who stole the flour? that the Dormouse was innocent. The Dormouse murmured something in its sleep, but it was not heard.
Horn in the end resulted, no innocent person made a false statement and (we remember) the
[Link] Those who steal pepper never make true statements. Moreover, only one stole the
pepper. Which of the three, if any of them, is the guilty one?
Well, here is the flour, said the King cheerfully, now you can make the
cakes. 5. SO,WHO STOLETHE PEPPER?
—Make the cakes without pepper? —asked the Queen.
"Pepper?" said the King incredulously. "Do you mean that you put pepper Wow, this is truly a difficult case! said the King.
in the cakes? The following suspects, look where, were the Grifo, the Fake Turtle and the
Not much, Lobster. In the trial, the Griffin said that the Turtle was innocent and the Turtle said that
And I suppose they have stolen it. The Lobster was guilty. Again, no innocent person lied and no guilty person spoke the truth.
Of course! said the Queen. Search for the pepper, and when you have discovered truth.
who stole it, leave him without... Who stole the pepper?
Come on, come on,
Of course, the pepper had to be sought after. But, as you all know, the people who 6. A UN MYSTERY
robbers never tell the truth.
"What?" said Alicia (not the Alicia from Wonderland but the one from this party). Alicia (my friend) interrupted my story here and said:
I had never heard that. Do you know something, Raymond? The characters you chose for the last riddle do not

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they were the most appropriate. Was he lying or telling the truth?
I thought about this for a brief moment and suddenly realized how
extraordinarily intelligent that is Alicia. [Link]
Those of you who have read Alice in Wonderland, can you understand by
What? Well, said the King, here is the sugar, you can make the cakes now.
"No salt?" asked the Queen.
[Link] The salt had also been stolen! This time it was discovered that the culprit was the
Caterpillar, Bill the Lizard or the Cheshire Cat. (One of them had entered the kitchen and
It has been hard for me to find the pepper," said the King with he had taken all the salt; the container was still there.) The three were judged and they made
anger—, and I doubt that the cakes will turn out much better with her! Pepper! —he continued the following statements:
the King—. Why don't you use blotting paper while you make them? —he added sarcastically. Caterpillar: Bill the Lizard took the salt.
I'll do it already, BILL EL LAGARTO: That is true.
--Very funny! --said the King--. And now that you have recovered the pepper, would you me CHESHIRE CAT: I didn't take the salt!
Will you please make the cakes? At least one of them was lying and at least one was telling the truth.
—No sugar? —said the Queen. Who stole the salt?
"What's wrong? Is the jam not sweet enough?" asked the King.
impatience. [Link]
I need sugar for the dough, and
They have stolen it from me! —Aquí tienes más sal, ya puedes hacer los pasteles —dijo el Rey.
Oh, not again, said the King I can't - said the Queen - They have stolen my molds.
sold out—. I will never see those cakes. —The molds! —shouted the King—. That is something we must find!
facts! This time the investigation was limited to the Lacayo-Frog, the Lacayo-Fish, and the Jack of
The recovery of sugar resulted Hearts. They made the following statements in the trial:
to be a relatively simple matter. It was SEVERAL-FROG: They were robbed by the fish-serving lackey.

found in the Duchess's house, and LACAYO-PEZ: Your Majesty, I did not steal them.
as the facts showed, there was HEARTS CUTLERY: I stole them.
stolen What help you are! shouted the King to the Jack. You lie more than you speak!
either the Duchess or the Cook, but not At most one of them was lying.
[Link] Who stole the molds?
following statements:
DUCHESS: The cook did not steal the [Link]
sugar.
COOK: The Duchess stole the Here are the molds,
sugar. —Without the prescription? —the Queen asked.
The one who stole the sugar was Do it like always, the King shouted impatiently, the last time they were
lying. (We don't know if the other one was lying.
very delicious.
or he was telling the truth.) I can't - said the Queen -. The recipe is in my cookbook and they are running out of it.
Who stole the sugar? And the other one of stealing.

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The main suspect was the Duchess's Cook, and the book was found in
effect in the Duchess's kitchen. The only possible suspects were the Cook, Well, here you have the butter, the eggs, and the milk again, said the King.
the Duchess and the Cheshire Cat. And I see that you have the jam, the flour, the sugar, the salt, the molds, and the book of
He was stolen by the Cheshire Cat! said the Duchess in the trial. kitchen, even the pepper. I'm sure you can make me the cakes now!
Yes, I stole it, The Queen made a wonderful batch.
I didn't steal it! said the Cook. These are even better than last time, the Queen said to herself. Surely
The thief had lied and at least one of the other two had told the truth. The King will be delighted.
Who stole the cookbook? The Queen went up to the Royal Chamber to announce to the King that the cakes were ready.
They went down to the kitchen arm in arm, but when they got there they found the table.
11. THE SEVENTH STORY (continued) Empty, the tray of pastries had disappeared!
-This has gone too far! - shouted the King, paling with rage - Who
Shortly after the cookbook was returned to the Queen, it was stolen. Is it sneaking into my house this way? I am half decided to really execute the
second time, again by the Duchess, the Cook or the Cheshire Cat. guilty!
In the trial, they made exactly the same statements as in the previous trial. Needless to say, the culprit was not executed, but he was caught, and all the cakes.
But this time the thief lied and the other two either both lied or both did. They were recovered. And here ends the story.
they told the truth. —What do you mean by here ends the
Who stole the cookbook this time? history? —asked (the real) Alice with
excitement—. You haven't told us who stole the
[Link] cakes, nor if there was a trial, and if there was, what happened in it,
He hasn't told us anything!
"Here you have your cookbook again," said the King, "now you can look at it." —Hubo juicio —añadí—, pero fue muy
recipe. So make me the cakes! complicated, and in order to discover the culprit there is
—No milk, butter, or eggs? to solve a complicated logical riddle, so
Oh woe is me! shouted the King. This is too much! I will wait a few years until you have grown up, and
—And this time I know it has been the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, and the Dormouse. Then I will tell you what happened.
shouted the Queen, kicking out in anger—. I saw them sneak out through the window No, we want to know what happened! said Tony.
when I entered the kitchen. Each one brought something, but I don't know who brought what. I'll tell you what happened, I replied, but in a few years, when you are
We'll clarify that soon! - roared the King. adults.
Todos los ingredientes fueron encontrados en casa de la Liebre de Marzo, el No, no, we want to know it now! they all shouted.
The Mad Hatter and the Dormouse. The three were tried and made the following declarations. That's fine,
rations: complicated.
HARE: The Hatter stole the butter. We won't blame you, really, but stopKeeping us in suspense and tell us.
SOMBRERERO: The Dormouse stole the eggs. what happened.
LIRÓN: I stole the milk. So I continued.
The one who stole the butter told the truth and the one who stole the eggs lied. As I said, the trial was very complicated. The first suspect was the Jack of
Who stole what? Hearts, but a circumstantial evidence was presented that established beyond the slightest doubt.
that the Jack of Hearts could not have stolen
[Link] the cakes. The next suspect was the Dormouse. But several reliable witnesses

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they declared that the Dormouse was sound asleep at the time of the robbery, therefore All eyes turned anxiously to Alice. Everyone knew that Alice
It couldn't have been him. Here the trial was halted. only makes true statements, and a subsequent investigation showed that this
Suddenly, the door to the room swung open and the White Rabbit entered with pride. the declaration was not an exception. Moreover, this declaration resolved all the mystery.
carrying the tray of cakes. Behind him entered the soldiers with the Griffin and the False. Who stole the cakes?
Chained turtles.
The cakes were on the beach," explained the White Rabbit. "The Griffin and the
Tortuga estaban a punto de comérselos cuando los soldados pasaron por allí, y los
they were arrested on the spot.
That proves his guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt, shouted the Queen, so off to
behead them immediately!
Well, well, said the King, we must give them a fair trial.
Things happened that proved that the Griffin and the Turtle were not both.
guilty, what remained to clarify was whether it was one of the two, and in that case, which one;
or if someone else was guilty: Was it merely a coincidence that the cakes were
found by the Griffin and the Turtle? No; soon evidence was presented that we had to
They conclusively determined that either the Griffin or the Mock Turtle was to blame.
(but not both), but the court did not find a way to decide who it was.
When it seemed that no further progress could be made, a mix of witnesses appeared.
they made various statements.
The Grifo didn't steal the pastries, said the Duchess.
But he has stolen other things before, said the Cook.
The Turtle has stolen things before, said the Cheshire Cat.
The Cheshire Cat has stolen things at some point,
—La Cocinera y el Gato de Cheshire tienen ambos razón —dijo la Liebre de Marzo.
The Cook and the Caterpillar are both right,
Either the Cheshire Cat is right or the Caterpillar is, or maybe both.
—said the Mad Hatter.
Either the Hare is right or the Dormouse is right, or maybe both are right, said Bill.
Lizard.
The Cook and the Hatter are both right,
—Bill the Lizard is right and the Knave of Hearts is not —said the Rabbit
White.
A great silence ensued.
—This does not prove anything! —roared the King—. Just words, words,
useless words.
—Not so useless, Your Majesty —Alicia said from the jury, standing up—.
It turns out that the White Rabbit and the Duchess made statements that either both are
either one is true or both are false.

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