Henry Ernest Dudeney/Modern Puzzles/16 - Digging a Ditch

by : $16$

 * Digging a Ditch
 * Here is a curious question that is more perplexing than it looks at first sight.


 * Abraham, an infirm old man, undertook to dig a ditch for $2$ pounds.
 * He engaged Benjamin, an able-bodied fellow, to assist him and share the money fairly according to their capacities.
 * Abraham could dig as fast as Benjamin could shovel out the dirt,
 * and Benjamin could dig four times as fast as Abraham could do the shovelling.


 * How should they divide the money?


 * Of course, we must assume their relative abilities for work to be the same in digging or shovelling.