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.