Riddle Me This...

[Ethan Ranipka]

You are a sheperd (spelling?) with a herd of sheep on an island, in the shape of a rectangle, covered in grass. A fire has ignited on the eastern end of the island, and the wind is blowing westerly in your directiion (ie from the east to the west). You have no means of getting off the island!

You have lost half of the island to the fire, and the wind is pushing the flames onto your half. What do you do? How do you save your sheep? And most importantly how do you save your own rear end?

 

[Jeff Kiener]

Have the sheep eat a "firewall" shaped patch of grass.

 

[Ethan Ranipka]

Pretty hard to get sheep to eat when they got a wall of fire coming towards them and they is BAAAH-ing in panic ...

 

[DrHamilton]

If I ever find myself on an island herding sheep - I'll really wish I'd have monitored this thread more frequently. However, since it's an island... move the sheep onto the beach! Sand doesn't burn, so walk around the fire to the already-burnt area (and take a swim).

 

[Ethan Ranipka]

Jesse,

The WHOLE island is covered in grass. No sand.

 

[Laura Patterson]

Herd the sheep into the ocean to soak up some water, squeeze the water from the wool over the edge of the flames to prevent spread.

Laura

 

[DrHamilton]

Jesse,

The WHOLE island is covered in grass. No sand.

Is this where you modify the riddle to negate every posted answer? Maybe I'm just not cut out for answering riddles if you have to be stranded on a grassy rectangular island that's surrounded by water but has no beach.... were the sheep and I air-dropped in - why am I herding sheep on a barrent island after optometry school anyway - is the job market THAT bad or am I hiding from a disgruntled patient? is there a lot of humidity and will it make the sheep cling together, mildew and then stink? And just how MANY sheep am I in charge of? I might sacrifice one or two for clothing and food... how did this fire start anyway - was the black sheep playing with matches again??? I guess my point is: you stated previously that sheep don't graze easily when they're nervous and avoiding fire... but this implies logic and some sense of credibility to this bizarre riddle - yet then on the second hand you say this magical island has no beach. WTF?

So many questions, so little time... <sigh>

 

[Ethan Ranipka]

Herd the sheep into the ocean to soak up some water, squeeze the water from the wool over the edge of the flames to prevent spread.

Laura

Then they drown

 

[Ethan Ranipka]

Is this where you modify the riddle to negate every posted answer? Maybe I'm just not cut out for answering riddles if you have to be stranded on a grassy rectangular island that's surrounded by water but has no beach.... were the sheep and I air-dropped in - why am I herding sheep on a barrent island after optometry school anyway - is the job market THAT bad or am I hiding from a disgruntled patient? is there a lot of humidity and will it make the sheep cling together, mildew and then stink? And just how MANY sheep am I in charge of? I might sacrifice one or two for clothing and food... how did this fire start anyway - was the black sheep playing with matches again??? I guess my point is: you stated previously that sheep don't graze easily when they're nervous and avoiding fire... but this implies logic and some sense of credibility to this bizarre riddle - yet then on the second hand you say this magical island has no beach. WTF?

So many questions, so little time... <sigh>

There is a solution, and you haven't found it yet.

 

[Ethan Ranipka]

Is this where you modify the riddle to negate every posted answer? ... <sigh>

No, there is a solution.

 

[Laura Patterson]

Sheep can't swim?

 

[Ethan Ranipka]

No.

Okay, here are some hints:

HINT 1: You were close when you suggested the sheep eat the grass, although this isn't the answer.

HINT 2: You and the sheep stay on the island and survive if you take the wind into account.

 

[Michael I. Davis]

Would this have something to do with the methane that is created as a by product of the sheep eating the grass?

 

[Ethan Ranipka]

No methane

HINT 3: The sheep don't save you; it's something you must do that saves all of you!

 

[Alex Petchkov]

Start another fire downwind, so that way first fire will have to stop as there will be no grass left to burn. You and the sheep will be saved on the remains of the second fire. (just hope that fire doesn't travel against the wind)

 

[Ethan Ranipka]

You Got It Alex!

Start another fire downwind, so that way first fire will have to stop as there will be no grass left to burn. You and the sheep will be saved on the remains of the second fire. (just hope that fire doesn't travel against the wind)

The money goes to Alex

But how do you start the fire downwind?... Get a patch of grass which is ignited and run to the other end of the island and start a "line of fire" to give you that safe patch to stand on at the edge of the island...