Sir, your puzzle is so hard!
Today’s puzzle is a seasonal update of a cherished gem of British culture: the river-crossing puzzle, in which people travel back-and forth across a stretch of water in a very small vessel. The earliest-known river-crossing puzzles appear in a manuscript by Alcuin of York in the eighth century.
Another British cultural artefact from a distant age is the Carry On film. Not wanting to appear too parochial, however, today’s puzzle also includes an element from the Thousand and One Nights.
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