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.