A Cold 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."