Replies

It was autumn, and the Indians on the remote reservation
asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold
or mild. Since he was an Indian 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 weather
was going to be. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he
replied to his tribe that the winter was indeed going to
be cold and that the members of the village should collect
firewood to be prepared.

Also, 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
indeed,” the meteorologist at the weather service
responded. So the Chief went back to his people and told
them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service
again. “Is it going to be a very cold winter?”

“Yes,” the man at National Weather Service again replied,
“it’s definitely going to be a very cold winter.” The
Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to
collect every scrap of wood they could find.

Two weeks later, he 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 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 wood
like crazy.”