This person joined the party on the road. "'God save,' quoth he, 'this
jolly company! Fast have I ridden,' saith he, 'for your sake, Because I
would I might you overtake, To ride among this merry company.'" Of
course, he was asked to entertain the pilgrims with a puzzle, and the one
he propounded was the following. He showed them the diamond-shaped
arrangement of letters presented in the accompanying illustration, and
said, "I do call it the rat-catcher's riddle. In how many different ways
canst thou read the words, 'Was it a rat I saw?'" You may go in any
direction backwards and forwards, upwards or downwards, only the
successive letters in any reading must always adjoin one another.
[Illustration:
W
W A W
W A S A W
W A S I S A W
W A S I T I S A W
W A S I T A T I S A W
W A S I T A R A T I S A W
W A S I T A T I S A W
W A S I T I S A W
W A S I S A W
W A S A W
W A W
W ]