Oo6 .su:vii-; i-lac i:-NAMii.s oi- tsolo. 



names, the native names beinij' in general use throni^hont the Tei- 

 ritory. 



The following complete series of most interesting^ names is 

 clearly traceable in the district : — 



fiiiifabaniu. — At the time of Tshaka's great in\asion of the 

 Colony, the Bacas were being driven before his victorious army. 

 After retiring across the Tsitsa River, they came to the ridge of 

 the Malepelepe Plateau, and the narrow kloof at the side seemed 

 to offer fair prospects of sticcessful defence. Accordingly Mati- 

 wane's men lined the ridge and awaited the oncoming horde. A 

 brave stand was made, and apparently the fiercest fighting took 

 place. In addition to the usual weapons stones were rolled down 

 the mountain-side, killing many, and the losses on either side were 

 so heavy that for years after bonesand skulls were still to be 

 seen in the dongas in the vicinity. 



The invaders were, however, successful, and Alatiwane and 

 hi> people fell back into the ivionntains, now named after him, but 

 the scene of this battle ever after was called Enifahanfu. which, 

 being interpreted, means " death of the people." 



All along the line of retreat skirmishes no doubt took place 

 at many points. It seems that a fight took place at Sebeni, in the 

 forest, and Silwangangubo, one of the leaders, was killed. To 

 this day it is related that he was dressed in a beautiful tiger-skin,* 

 and seems on that account to have been a man of special note. As 

 one man put it to me in conversation. "He got his honotir from 

 the clothes in which he fought I" 



Rut the main fight tool>: ])lace on the mountains of Mbolompo. 

 It was really here that the j)ower of Matiwane was broken and 

 his army scattered in all directions. 



At MbazcelaiKja he himself was reputed to have been killed, 

 lie, however, fled to Natai. Cin-iously enough, this place is. 

 according to our wa>s of thinking, (|uite misnamed, for Mbawe- 

 langa means " the wa\- of the sun" — that is, the ra\ s of the rising 

 sun fall first on this place, which is high u]) on the mountain-side. 

 .Surely the setting sun would afford a more fitting idea in the 

 naming of the |)lace where it was supposed this gallant chief fell. 

 I he Mdth^'diic /\'(ni<ir ot mountains arc a wortli\- memorial to his 

 name. 



'i"he broken army dispersed in scattered bands, and this fact 

 is ])erpeluated in the name (Jrhiiui. given to a neighbouring stream. 

 In this ])lace there aie small hollows in the mountain-side, each 

 filled with dense bush, and as the rest of the mountain-side is 

 bare, we have literall\ scattered groui)s of btish. each bush cai)able 

 ot roncealing a few men. Xow i-i/cla means " a comi)aiiv." and 

 the dimimitive i-qclaiui means a small group or companw \Vhether 

 the name was given t-i the scattered groups of bush originally, or 

 to the small bands of men who sheltered in them, one caimot 

 determine at this late date, .^o far as I cati discover, the name 



Usually w(irn by a chief. 



