NOMENCLATUEE OF PLACES. 41 



Great Eungeet rising from the south-east flank of Kanchinjingna. 

 If, however, the name is pronounced Rung-nyeet, it means " the 

 good river." 



"Rang-nyu" (our Tista) = " the straight river," so called, accord- 

 ing to Dr. Waddell, because "this river, though receiving the full 

 force of the Ruugeet at right angles, still continues in its straight 

 unaltered course, its direction being unaffected by this great accession 

 of waters, or more probably because of its straight course across the 

 plain after leaving the hills, in contrast to the other great effluent 

 river of Sikhim, the MaJialdi Ung )Ang. ' Mahananda)', which means 

 ' the bent moving water ' with reference to this river, as seen from 

 the hills, taking a very sudden bend to the right on reaching the 

 plains." Another derivation is from " A-nyung," "deep," but this 

 seems far-fetched, as there are a number of shallows even in its lower 

 course. There is a third meaning given, viz., "the great river," 

 from " A-nyoo." It may also mean "the mother river" from a 

 tradition that the Tista and Rungeet were born in the Himalayas and 

 started for the plains, the former carrying a mountain-snake and 

 the latter a pheasant. To find food for the bird, the Rungeet had 

 to wander hither and thither, whereas the Tista went straight and 

 arrived at Rangli first : the Rungeet, finding the Tista had the 

 start, was very angry and threatened to return, whereon the Tista 

 consented to be his wife and carry him on her back : and the curious 

 way the Rungeet waters, which are always dark, overrun the white 

 stream of the Tista at the junction is pointed to as a symbol of this 

 union. 



Ratong, "the surging swallowing one," the main source of the 

 Rungeet, a glacier-fed rapid torrent subject to sudden and destructive 

 flood. 



Rilli=:Ri-li, "the twisting one," but the name of this stream is 

 often pronounced Rongli, so the derivation seems doubtful. 



Rungneac=" Rung-nyak," the black or dark stream which in 

 Pahariya is called Kali jhora, an obvious corruption of " Kala jhora," 

 an exact translation of the Lepcha. 



Ryott=Ri-yot, " the rapid loosened stream," from its precipitous 

 impetuous course, falling several thousand feet in a few miles. 



In mountain names occur these — 



Senchal=Shin-shel-hlo. Shin, cloud and mist-enveloped; shel, 

 to be wet or dank; and hlo, a mountain, "the damp misty hill." 

 This is Dr. Waddell's interpretation, and to the habituds of Darjeeling 

 no name could be more appropriate for the highest hill near the 

 station. 



Phallut=Fok-iut, "the bare or denuded peak," as it is bare of 

 trees and in striking contrast to its neighbour. 



