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218 CHAPTER 10. TRANSPOSITION CIPHERS
and on 18 April 1802 that although the cypher was difficult to understand,
once understood it would be “the easiest to use, the most indecypherable,
and varied by a new key with the greatest facility of any one I have ever
known.”
Although the method did offer splendid security, it was extremely time
consuming, and there is no evidence it was ever actually used.
The example given by the Franco-phile Jefferson is about the success of
Napoleon.
w s a t a i s p a p s e v h h r n t p v n t u t a n o
e a a o o b c e u t e r d h e c e b n s b s a b d e p d n o
e h n o e e t h h n p a l a e r n n o t n t u t i o h
n e m e y e e s a n n i h a t t o a a t i e e o n d o i
r t l r c w r e h e g u r i l j n e s y d o t h d s e a r
s e e o b i n l e i h t s h e e e n a e e a r t a n r m
a r p e n w e e r t d t a e c e n h y a n o a b i
u v c l s t i h i e d c f i n s x n a h e n y t e n r f
s d t r o d i e s u a u n o s i a h r i a e h e i r p
s t o e t l s o a o a d h s e t t i e u a h r d e i u y
f t s h o p f c f e b e i n t r t t t e h o x e o y p u
p e r t e r s p i a e e o o c k r y c f n n h t e f e y o
t l r l p w r u u w i p s a t t w h h n m e n t
e r r e t e a l e i w a r w s a o t d i t o f n g e
w h a r c r c n t t c w i g l n e n r d h f o w s h
e t t d n e e l k h o s u h a x h t j o r u i y i
s a n t r h t d i w u f g e t h a t d f s l t m
a d t r o d i i e g a a i w t i s t n r h e s r n c t
n o n o a e i e d l i n y s y i o s e a g o d l l a n n
s f t a e w t r o i w n t w a n o n x y o u r e h
The keys are keylines 57328162 and keyletters 81393420. To decipher –
(1) cross out the known nulls at the start of each line.
(2) Number the lines using the numbers of the line key.
(3) Pull out the lines in order of key, putting them into columns.
(4) Read the message (the ending nulls will be clear).