CHAPTER XXI

THE NJOKOOS, OR ELEPHANTS, TRAVEL TO THE PLANTAIN FIELD

Now the very day the nginas had departed for the plantain field, a number of njokoos, forming a big herd, said among themselves: “At the beginning of the last rainy season, we passed a part of the forest where there were a great many plantain-trees. By this time they must be bearing big heavy bunches of plantains. These must be juicy and good to eat now.” The njokoos trumpeted all at the same time, “Yes, let us go and travel there at once, for we all like plantains.”

This was the very same plantain field of which the three nginas had spoken, and toward which they were journeying. Then the leader of the herd, with his little, cunning eyes, said: “Let us start at once. We will even travel at night for fear that other njokoos might reach the place before us, and we should then find everything eaten up on our arrival.”

When the elephants heard their leader talk in that way, they became very excited, swayed their bodies from side to side, flapped their large ears against their heads, and uttered shrill trumpetings that filled the forest and meant in the njokoo language, “Let us hurry up for fear other njokoos may be ahead of us, and when we arrive we shall find that they have eaten up everything.”

The njokoos have a great advantage over the nginas. They can travel at night as well as in the day; but the nginas, like the human beings, the monkeys, and other day creatures, have to sleep at night. So the elephants started on their journey to the plantain-trees in a hurry, and trampled the jungle under their feet, broke many saplings that came in their way, and left a big track behind them.

They travelled at a great rate, and many miles a day, for their aim was to reach the plantain field before any one else. They kept on night and day, crossing mountains and swimming through rivers, and it was sometimes hard travelling, for they had to avoid bogs and parts of the forest filled with thorny cane.

At last the njokoos reached the promised land. One day at noon they came to the plantain field. Great indeed was their joy when they saw the plantain-trees loaded with heavy bunches of big, juicy, green fruit. They all uttered trumpetings of gladness. The chief of the herd felt quite proud to have led them to the place. It did not take long for the whole herd to be in the middle of the plantain-trees. They committed great havoc. Not one of the njokoos made any noise at this time, for fear they should be heard by other njokoos, and thus betray their presence in the plantain field.

When they could not eat any more plantains, they retired into the forest, for they felt safer in the thicket of the jungle.

The next night the leader of the herd trumpeted for the elephants to assemble and get ready to go to the plantain field. The njokoos understood different trumpetings just as soldiers understand the meanings of the different sounds of the bugle. All came round their chief, who took the lead, and they walked toward the plantain field, just as the moon rose over the forest; the huge creatures could be seen destroying the trees, tearing them down and eating the fruit; and then, when their hunger was satisfied, they returned to the thick of the forest.

After four days there was not a plantain-tree standing, and as they left their trumpeting was joyous. They were laughing and saying: “The njokoos and nginas will find nothing if they come. We have eaten everything. We only play the same trick that other njokoos have played on us. How many times have we come to a place when it was too late!” Saying this, they disappeared in the forest.

The very same day the njokoos left, the nginas in their turn approached the plantain fields, the old ngina saying to his mate, “Let us be careful, for we are coming where there is no forest.” They walked slowly, and now and then would raise themselves erect to see if there was any danger. When they reached the plantain field, the njokoos had just gone.

To their disgust, disappointment, and dismay they saw that the njokoos had been there before them, that the trees were all down, and that there was not a bunch of plantains left.

“The njokoos have been here,” shouted the big ngina, in a rage, and gave vent to roar after roar. His mate did likewise. Then he said to her, “These horrid njokoos have not even left a tree standing. They have eaten our plantains.” For the nginas thought these plantains belonged to them. The njokoos had thought likewise. The big fellow was so disappointed and angry that he repeated again and again his roars of rage and defiance. He was ready to fight anything he met.

The njokoos, who were not yet far away, heard him, and laughed among themselves, and trumpeted back: “We are not afraid of you, nginas. You dare not come and attack us. We are the ones who have eaten all the plantains.”

So the nginas left the place with empty stomachs, and feeling in a very bad humor against the njokoos. They had hardly left when another herd of njokoos, who also knew of the place, made their appearance, and when they saw the plantain field destroyed, they trumpeted, “We are too late. Other njokoos have been here before us,” and they, too, went away feeling not in the best of humor. And soon after their departure some other nginas also familiar with the place appeared on the field, and when they saw its devastated condition, they too were disappointed, and departed, saying to one another, “We are too late. We are too late.”

XXII ARRIVAL OF THE HUMAN BEINGS WHO OWN THE PLANTAIN FIELD

It so happened that the plantain field which the njokoos had destroyed had been planted by human beings who were cannibals. They were great hunters, very brave and fierce, knew the use of firearms, and had guns with which they shot many njokoos. It was the custom of these men to have their plantations hidden in the forest and far away from their villages. Many of these were so far off that a day’s journey was necessary for them to go and come back with a load of plantains on their backs. It was hard work for these men of the forest to make a plantation, for they had first to fell the forest trees, and, when partly dry, to set fire to them, and then to plant the shoots.

Two days after the njokoos had left, some of the women of the tribe to whom the field belonged, came to get plantains to take back with them to feed their people. When they saw that all the plantain-trees had been torn down, and the fruit devoured, and witnessed the havoc the njokoos had wrought, they exclaimed, “The njokoos have been here and eaten up everything. What shall we do to feed our families?” They also saw the footprints of nginas and were filled with fear. They started for their village in great haste, making loud noises to scare the monsters off.

On their return, as they entered their village, they shouted: “Listen; the njokoos are near our plantations. They have already destroyed one of them, and eaten up everything, and if they are not driven away we shall be hungry in days to come, for they will destroy other fields of plantains.”

There was great excitement among the human beings when they heard the doleful news. They shouted: “The hard work we had to cut these trees and make this plantation has been all for nothing.” The warriors and hunters swore vengeance, and vowed to kill all the njokoos and nginas they could find.

Many people started for their plantation to stay until they had driven all the njokoos and nginas from their country, and took their guns and their tom-toms with them. When they arrived there, they made a great noise, fired guns, beat their tom-toms, danced and sang all night, and made invocations to their idols and their forefathers. Five of the most valiant hunters swore that they would not go back home until they had killed some nginas or njokoos.

They built sheds to sleep under. When the nginas and the njokoos heard the noise they made, they moved away in all haste, and soon the country was free from them.