The Missionary Dilemma

Three missionaries were captured by cannibals. About to be put into a boiling pot for supper, the head missionary pleaded for their lives, asking if there was anything they could do to save themselves. The Chief loved puzzles so he agreed to make a deal. If they could solve his puzzle then they could live. If they didn’t then they would be the main course. Not surprisingly, the missionaries agreed.

The missionaries were told to sit on the ground, facing front to back. They were warned not to move or turn their heads or they would die. The Chief put a headband on each of them and gagged them so they could not speak. Then he placed five feathers, three black and two white, into a bag. For each missionary, he drew a feather from the bag and placed it in his headband. The missionaries could not see the feather in their own headband, nor the ones behind him, and were warned to look only straight ahead. Thus the missionary in front could not see the color of ANY of feathers. The second could see only the one in front of him, and the third could see the two in front of him. The missionaries had no idea which feathers were left in the bag.

Then the Chief explained the puzzle…..

Each missionary was to try and figure out what color his own feather was – that is, the one that was on his own head. As a group, they would get only ONE try. The Chief promised that if the first answer was correct, AND could be explain logically, then all three would be freed. If the answer was wrong, or could not be explained properly, then the pot was their next stop. A pure guess wouldn't be acceptable, even if correct. It didn't matter to the Chief which missionary answered.

The three missionaries sat silently for a while, each staring straight ahead, sweating bullets. After a while, the first missionary, the one in front, the one who could not see either of the other missionaries, ever so slowly raised his hand. His gag was removed and he then told the Chief what color his feather was. Not only was he correct, but he was able to satisfy the Chief that he really knew and hadn't just guessed. True to his word, the Chief ordered the missionaries to be freed, warning them to never return.

YOUR QUESTION:

What color was the first missionary’s feather and how in the world did he figure it out? Remember, if he was wrong he would have sentenced them all to death!

E-mail me your answer to pghpa_girl@yahoo.com. I don’t have a prize or anything but you’ll definitely impress me (assuming you're correct).

missonary