SOLVING CIPHER SECRETS

I T is not so well known, perhaps, that a number of ciphers are believed to exist in the Bible.

One instance of these ciphers occurs in Jeremiah, chapter xxv, verse xxvi, and in chapter li, verse xli, where the prophet, to conceal the meaning of his predictions from all but the initiated, is supposed to have written Sheshach instead of Babel— Babylon—the intended word.

The cipher used in this case, called athbash by Buxtorf from the first two interchangeable pairs, may be constnicted by writing the first eleven letters of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order, respectively, above the last eleven in reverse order, forming eleven pairs, either letter in any pair acting as substitute for the other letter.

Thus, the first letter, aleph, would be used in place of the last, tav; and the last, conversely, would be used for the first. Similarly, the second letter would be used for the next to last; and so on. In the accompanying table the names of the Hebrew letters are given with their English phonetic equivalents:

To better understand the athbash cipher, it must be borne in mind that only the consonants were used in writing the ancient Hebrew language. Vowels were supplied by the reader, no doubt from memory. The consonants were also written continuously, without any spaces between words; and the direction of writing was from right to left, instead of left to right, as in English.

In deciphering an example in the athbash system, the vowels would thus be disregarded. Consonants would be substituted according to the cipher alphabet, and the necessary vowels added to the resulting series. Sheshach—sheshak—for instance, stripped of its vowels, leaves the consonants sh-sh-k. Substituting b and l for sh and k, respectively, gives b-b-l; by vocalizing which, transmutation into Babel is completed.

The athbash canon is even older than the Jewish Kabbalah, of which it forms a part, having been employed in the synagogue and in interpreting the Scriptures from time immemorial. But there seems to be some doubt that it is as old as Jeremiah, or that it was actually used by him.

For example, Sir H. Rawlinson is said to have advanced the explanation that the Sheshach of the Scriptures may possibly have been used for the moon god, which might have read Shishaki in Babylon.

However, the decipherment of an unknown specimen of this kind of writing might be very difficult. For it is obvious that a number of interpretations might be possible in many cases, depending upon the vowels and word divisions used by the translator.

In cipher No. 64, herewith, you will find an English counterpart of the athbash. See what you can do with it! And may the spirits of your honorable ancestors guide you to the correct solution.

Just as a suggestion, it might be a good idea to use only five slides with cipher No. 55, published in the August 13 issue, enciphering in groups of five instead of word lengths. As used, however, the slides bore the letters in the following order:

MVJENQXFLYWITHDOZGRUBPACKS

Message: Imaginary evils soon become real ones, by indulging our reflections on them; as he, who in a melancholy fancy sees something like a face on the wall or the wainscot, can, by two or three touches with a lead pencil, make it look visible, and agreeing with what he fancied.

What did you do with No. 59, last week's "question and answer" cryptogram? Here is the solution:

Question: What is inductive reasoning ?

Answer: The process of reasoning from a part to a whole, from particulars to generals, or from the individual to the universal.

Let M. Walker tell you in his own words of the plans he laid for the undoing of the fans in his No. 60.

"The interceptor will soon see that he has a transposition cipher," says Mr. Walker. "Finding sixty-four letters, he will likely conclude that it is built in an eight by eight square. Wrong! The last letter is a null added to mislead. It is built on a seven by nine rectangle, as follows:

C O N F I D E
N C E A C H I
E V E S W O N
D E R F U L R
E S U L T S Q
O V E R C O N
F I D E N C E
Q M A Y B R I
N G Q R U I N

"Begin by taking letters out at the upper fight corner, and in consecutive down-right diagonals throughout, EDIIH NFCOR ... Three word spaces are indicated with Q's. The message: Confidence brings wonderful results; overconfidence may bring ruin."

The first of this week's lot is another of the question and answer cryptograms, conveying a text that should interest every reader of detective stories. Try to get it!

No. 63 is a clever numerical cipher, readable at sight if you know the system. The first word of the message is JEWEL. Can you get the rest?

CIPHER No. 62.

  Question: OFK  MKHOVCCGI  JLJOKY
GT  BIOFHGDGYKOHVQBC  VRKIOVTV-
QBOVGI  VJ  MBJKR  QFVKTCL  NDGI
EFBO  YKBJNHKYKIOJ  GT  OFK  FNYBI
MGRL?

 Answer: WCPS  HCMVFW  WCPS  JGSFW
HCMVFW  KU  HCUF  ZGSSHC  UGMVCD
HCMVFW  KU  HCUF  UKKF  PMS  HCM-
VFW  KU  HCUF  UKDCPDZ  UDKZ  CHAKJ
FK  COFDCZGFN  KU  ZGSSHC  UGMVCD.

CIPHER No. 63 (D. Maradei, Chicago, Illinois).

41-12-57-30-42-46-22-14-12-65-30-55-40-10-
83-12-01-30-12-43-24-17-11-10-82-30-20-14-
25-20-17-73-43-82-35-93-25-22-71-28-12-60-
39-14-46-04-60-17-71-64-65-10-42-38-12-02-
10-82-03-14-29-12-82-22-35-56-55-10-43-20-
02-71-24-60-10-72-19

CIPHER No. 64.

S G X M V P M G J J M H M N M Z H G
L Q P P P S H D X M G H C I G V M G
G H C G M H J L J Q M S G D G S D M
                        N J W H X M

Nos. 62 and 63 will be explained next week; No. 64 in three weeks. Did you make the "garden wall," No. 58 in the August 20 issue, talk to you? See next week's article, and find out all about it.

And keep your answers coming, fans! And your new ciphers, too! But be sure to send explanations and solutions with the latter.

E. W. H., Chicago, Illinois, asks: "How do you determine the type of a cipher? Are there any special rules to be followed to classify ciphers?" Our correspondent is referred to the cipher article in the September 4, 1926, issue. Back numbers of FLYNN'S WEEKLY DETECTIVE FICTION can be supplied at ten cents each, postpaid; or at twenty cents each, postpaid, if more than one year old.