An Australian travel writer at the beginning of a 6-month tour
of Canada was checking out of the Vancouver Hilton, and as he
paid his bill said to the manager, “By the way, what’s with the
Indian chief sitting in the lobby? He’s been there ever since I
arrived.”
“Oh that’s ‘Big Chief Forget-me Not’.” said the manager. “The
hotel is built on an Indian reservation, and part of the
agreement is to allow the chief free use of the premises for the
rest of his life. He is known as ‘Big Chief Forget-me Not’
because of his phenomenal memory. He is 92 and can remember the
slightest detail of his life.”
The travel writer took this in, and as he was waiting for his
cab decided to put the chief’s memory to the test.
“‘g’day, mate!” said the Aussie, receiving only a slight nod in
return. “What did you have for breakfast on your 21st birthday?”
“Eggs,” was the chief’s instant reply, without even looking up,
and indeed the Aussie was impressed.
He went off on his travel writing itinerary, right across to the
east coast and back, telling others of Big Chief Forget-me Not’s
great memory. (One local noted to him that ‘How’ was a more
appropriate greeting for an Indian chief than ”ello mate.’) On
his return to the Vancouver Hilton six months later was
surprised to see ‘Big Chief Forget-me Not’ still sitting in the
lobby, fully occupied with whittling away on a stick.
“How?” said the Aussie to the Chief, who again did not stop to
look up.
“Scrambled.” said the Chief.