THE NORSE OCCUPATION. 35 



lis father-in-law, the Earl of Ross, in safety. Baulked of 

 his prey, the disappointed Dragon of the Isles vented his 

 rage on the inhabitants of Lewis, who must have been 

 few in number, seeing they were unable to protect their 

 idolised master from his would-be murderer. Godred 

 pillaged the island and slaughtered the principal adherents 

 of his uncle, thus showing that there was something more 

 than private revenge at the root of the whole undertaking. 



Meanwhile, Paul Balkasson had discreetly left Skye and 

 taken refuge with the Earl of Ross, arriving probably 

 according to arrangement about the same time as Olave 

 A consultation took place, at which the Earl of Ross and 

 Balkasson urged Olave to throw off his allegiance to 

 Reginald, and make a bold bid for the crown which 

 rightfully belonged to him. The promised support of his 

 powerful father-in-law, added to the conviction that his 

 life was no longer safe from his brother's malevolence, 

 decided Olave to put his fortune to the touch. The first 

 offensive movement in the projected campaign was 

 directed against Godred Don, who was then (1223) in 

 St. Colum's isle, or Trodda, in the north of Skye, near 

 which Olave and his friends remained in concealment 

 for some days. They then proceeded with five ships to 

 Trodda, and drew a cordon of vessels around the island 

 to prevent the escape of Godred. Although taken by 

 surprise, the latter made a stubborn resistance against 

 the invaders, but, surrounded on all sides, he was obliged 

 to give way ; the defeat of his followers became a rout ; 

 and the rout became a general slaughter. Those who 

 could, escaped to the church, whose sacred walls gave 

 them protection. Failing to reach the sanctuary, Godred 

 fell into the hands of Paul Balkasson, who, without Olave's 

 knowledge or consent, mutilated him and is said to have 

 put out his eyes. But the blinding must have been only 

 partial, for Godred appears later in the character of a 

 particularly alert, if short-sighted, individual. It is pro- 

 bable that this act of retribution was as much a political 

 move on the part of Balkasson, as an act of private 



