Answer:

Tezkar is the second fattest (given). The smallest man is not Bronto (stated), nor is it Spensius (who is fatter than someone), so it must have been Effim. The smallest man wore a silver robe. Hence he did not fall off his chair (he who did wore pearl rings) nor did he splutter (he who did was fatter than someone). We also know that he bid more than Bronto, and hence he cannot have bid six hundred tarns.

Suppose Effim dropped his wine. Then he bid 1000 tarns. Then the man with the gold lorgnette bid 200 tarns more than the man who swore by the Priest-Kings, so he cannot have bid 1200 tarns (since Effim did not swear; he dropped his wine), and since he has a gold lorgnette and not a silver robe, he is not Effim and so did not bid 1000 tarns; and he cannot have bid 600 tarns, for this is the smallest bid; and so he must have bid 800 tarns. Hence the man who swore by the Priest-Kings bid 600 tarns, and so for the man who fell off his chair to have worn pearl rings, he must have bid 1200 tarns, as for every other sum we know a mark either of surprise or of wealth. But if this were so then the man who bid 800 tarns was the one who spluttered incoherently, and we have been told that this was not the sum that he bid.

Hence Effim neither dropped his drink nor bid a thousand tarns. Therefore he swore by the Priest-Kings. Since someone bid 200 tarns more than the man who swore, he cannot have bid 1200 tarns. Therefore he bid 800, the only sum left, which means the next-fatter Slaver spluttered incoherently.

We now know that the man who swore wore a silver robe, the man who fell off his chair wore pearl rings, the man who dropped his wine had a gold lorgnette (for he bid 200 tarns more than the man who swore by the Priest-Kings, who bid 800 tarns) which leaves the jewelled turban for the man who spluttered incoherently. This is Spencius, and hence Bronto is the fattest Slaver. We know the smallest man bid more than Bronto, who thus must have bid 600 tarns, and since the man who bid 1000 tarns dropped a goblet of wine, this was the second-fattest man, Tezkar. Hence it was Spencius who bid 1200 tarns, and since this is the highest bid, it was he who bought the slave. Bronto it was who fell off his chair and wore pearl rings. The full solution:

Effim Spencius Tezkar Bronto

Swore Spluttered Dropped wine Fell off chair

800 1200 1000 600

Robe Turban Lorgnettes Pearl rings

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