33 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



condition. But finding it too little to maintain him and 

 his army, he went boldly to his brother Reginald, who then 

 lived on the islands, and addressed him thus to him : ' My 

 brother and my sovereign, you know very well that the 

 Kingdom of the Isles was mine by right of inheritance, but 

 since God hath made you King over it, I neither will envy 

 your happiness nor grudge to see the crown upon your 

 head. I only beg of you so much land in these islands as 

 may honourably maintain me ; for I am not able to live 

 upon the island Lodhus which you gave me.'" 



Reginald's reply to this touching appeal was charac- 

 teristic of the man. Promising to consult his Council 

 and give an answer on the following day, he quickly 

 made arrangements to dispose of his troublesome brother 

 permanently. If Olave found Lewis too small for him, 

 he would find him a still more confined abode. Besides 

 being a vassal of the English Crown, Reginald appears to 

 have cultivated friendly relations with William the Lion 

 of Scotland. Believing in the principle of making use of 

 one's friends, he bethought himself of utilising the good 

 offices of the Scottish King, in connexion with his designs 

 upon Olave's liberty. And so it came to pass that the 

 unhappy younger brother found himself immured as a 

 prisoner in Marchmont Castle, that being Reginald's form 

 of reply to his complaint. For seven years (1207-1214) 

 Olave was kept in chains in his Scottish prison. His 

 release coincided with the death of William the Lion and 

 the accession of Alexander II., who, to celebrate his 

 coronation, ordered that all prisoners in his kingdom 

 should be set at liberty. On gaining his freedom, Olave 

 paid a visit to the shrine of St. James of Compostella, 

 where he offered up thanks for his deliverance ; he then 

 proceeded to the Isle of Man. Once more, therefore, 

 Reginald found himself confronted by his brother and 

 a recrudescence of his old fears. 



Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, and readily 

 lies the tongue that claims it unlawfully. Reginald dis- 

 sembled his fears and professed his love. The ingenuous 



