I N the first number on this week's program readers of this department are offered a chance to prove their skill as literary detectives.
The objective of this proposed attack is the solution to the following "Cyphral Distich," which occurs at the close of a tract by Sir Thomas Urquart, seventeenth century Scottish author and translator.
5.3.27.38.32.14.21.8.66.8.70.39.5.9.12.18.2.3.
56.5.1.7.3.2.13.19.3.25.9.3.16.6.
25.15.13.6.11.20.5.1.2.12.1.20.20.49.20.20.35.
33.4.6.8.35.5.38.5.5.18.10.3.11.32.42.
Of carping Zoil and despightful Momus,
Let th' innate baseness be exiled from us,
Who worthily would hear or read this book;
For if upon this Cyphral Distich look
An honest, skillful man, he'll therein finde
His own heart's wishes, and the Author's
minde.
To our knowledge this cipher has never been solved. So try your hand, and send in your ideas or solutions. Any contributions to the problem will be given special mention in a subsequent installment of the department.
The translation of last week's cryptogram No. 51 is as follows: The number of cipher systems is practically without limit; and many of them are capable of an almost infinite change by means of variable keys.
The most interesting feature about this cipher probably would be the alphabet, which can readily be used in constructing other types of ciphers. This was built upon the keyword CRYPTOGRAPHY by first crossing out all repeated letters after their first use, and then writing the remaining letters of the alphabet in lines of the same length as the keyword, and in regular order beneath it.
Taking the resultant formation by descending verticals from left to right, the subjoined transposed alphabet is obtained in which the substitute for any letter is that letter immediately following it. For example, C plain is represented by B in cipher; B plain, by U; U, by R; and so on, S using the first letter, C, as its substitute.
C R Y P T O G — A — H —
B D E F I J K L M N Q S
U V W X Z
CBURDVYEWPFXTIZOJGKLAMNHQS
Last week's No. 52 (J. A. Dockham) can be done by hand, or by typewriter, if desired. But the best way is to prepare a number of strips or slides upon which the alphabet has been written vertically, twice repeated, with letters at equal distances, and in regular order. By the way, a piece of apparatus constructed along these lines, and using twenty or twenty-five slides, forms a most valuable addition to any cryptographer's equipment.
However, in the present cipher, each word of the message is enciphered by a separate manipulation of the slides, which are merely adjusted vertically until the letters of the desired word are in the same horizontal line. Whereupon the letters in any of the other twenty-five lines may be taken as its substitute.
It is hardly practicable to show these slides here at full length. But enough of them is represented to explain the system. For example, the ninth word of the message, NEAR, as shown in the illustration herewith, could be written in cipher as OFBS, PGCT, QHDU, and so on. RIEV was selected in this case, our correspondent making it a point to use pronounceable groups, whenever possible, to give the cryptogram a more mysterious air.
(Enciphering) (Deciphering)
*N E A R *Y O F A D B
O F B S Z P G B E C
P G C T A Q H C F D
Q H D U *B R I D G E
*R I E V C S J E H F
S J F W D T K F I G
T K G X E U L G J H
U L H Y F V M H K I
etc. etc.
To decipher a given group, similarly adjust the slides so that the letters of the cipher word are in the same line. The equivalent in clear text will then be found in one of the other lines. The illustration shows how the tenth group, YOFADB, of the present cryptogram, would thus be deciphered as BRIDGE.
It is possible, of course, for a given group to have more than one translation in this system. This is especially true with the shorter, words, with the probability of such an occurrence decreasing as the words in-, crease in length. Message No. 52, in full: HIGHWAY HAS BEEN MINED WITH DYNAMITE AT POINT NEAR BRIDGE TO BE TRAVERSE BY ARMORED PAY CAR.
Taking up this week's ciphers, No. 53, with its lack of short words, is a somewhat more than ordinarily difficult simple 'substitution cryptogram. Nevertheless, clews are almost as numerous as rattles in the old flivver. How quickly can you get it ?
O. D. O. says that the sentence in his No. 54 is "a great reward." If you can't decipher it, let your best girl try. There's a reason! Also, try to find out all you can about the cipher system here.
No. 55 is a variation of No. 52, described above, with the difference that a mixed alphabet, instead of a straight A to Z arrangement, has been used, materially increasing the difficulty of the problem.
This cipher, in effect, uses twenty-five simple substitution alphabets in arbitrary order. A number of words found to be in the same alphabet could be solved by simple substitution methods. Other words could be determined by context. Nevertheless, the task is hardly what you would call easy. Hence, the longer time allowed for its solution.
Which, brings us to the question: What do you think of the plan now in effect of allowing more than one week for solving the more difficult ciphers? Do you find that you need it? We want to adjust all such matters to our readers' satisfaction. Conducting a magazine department is something like broadcasting over the radio.
The "audience" indicates its likes or dislikes by the nature of its "applause." So drop us a line occasionally as to how things suit you.
CIPHER No. 53 (M. Walker, Akron, Ohio).
TNEVBHIVC CVGOHMVG TCVGSHUR PNEOSNG SEUR XHBSHU WNEOS BNFPBHUR IWVRHKMWMVG TVOM- CHO QMVURGBNWG EPPNBHBN
CIPHER No. 54 (O. D. Overman, Stockton, California).
MKPJTGTGQL ZOFSWN OZGTTGYC ZOFSPJZO SFCYYCNWWNSF ZOFSGTSF
CIPHER No. 55 (J. A. Dockham, Oakland, California).
AIFJAOFEB GOSAH HEER XOYYTO EDFU ULFE MO AOSNUJAOJ UCA EDRUDLCAMOW ER LYSA ID YS UAK AO I IDUFOLKMUB DEINZ EFFE XAFWUBRIK ZUXI O ULYO UL LYS SICC UA PAT GERIXNAU NEI MO PUK ID LYDSS LIOUYSP UBPA I BOLM YGRISA IFYD AC AEET YUFUJZI FOS LENOOCZE GRUB XYRL SO RFOLADS
Solutions to ciphers Nos. 53 and 54 will be published next week, with the fulL explanation of No. 55 in three weeks.
J. Levine's "open letter" cipher, No. 50 of the July 30 issue, will also be fully explained next week.
As a last word, we would again remind readers to include translations and explanations with ciphers submitted.