Winter's Coming

One autumn, the Indians asked their chief if the winter was going to be a cold one or not. Not really knowing the answer, the chief took the safer route and replied that the winter was going to be cold; and that the members of the tribe should collect wood to be prepared.

Being a good leader, he then called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is this winter going to be very cold?"

The man on the phone responded, "This winter is going to be quite cold indeed."

So the chief went back to speed up his people in collecting wood 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 replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."

Again the chief went to his people and ordered them to go and 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?"

"It will be even colder than we thought," the man replied. "The Indians are collecting wood like crazy!"