Indian Winter

It was October and the Indians on a remote reservation
asked their new Chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.
Since he was a Chief in a modern society he had never been taught the
old secrets. When he looked at the sky he couldn't tell what the winter
was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side he told his tribe
that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the
village should collect firewood to be prepared. But being a practical
leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth,
called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter
going to be cold?"

"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,"
the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to
collect even more firewood in order to be prepared. A week later he
called the National Weather Service again. "Does it still look like it
is going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again
replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."

The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them
to collect every scrap of firewood they could find. Two weeks later the
Chief called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely
sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely," the man replied. "It's looking more and
more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever."

"How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked.

The weatherman replied,
"The Indians are collecting firewood like crazy."