44 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



to her colonies. The boendr were the independent land- 

 owners in the community, where all were classed as " free " 

 or " unfree." They formed the backbone of the colonies ; 

 their voices carried greatest weight at the Things and in 

 the election of their rulers ; and they were trained for 

 service in war alike on land and sea. The thralls were, of 

 course, the lowest grade of society, and it may be safely 

 assumed that a large proportion of this class in the Outer 

 Hebrides consisted of the natives whom the Norsemen 

 found and overcame. The slave trade was a recognised 

 institution among the Norwegians ; they bought and sold 

 their captives like so many cattle. Thralls were frequently 

 employed by their masters to do their morally dirty work, 

 such as cutting throats and " exposing " children. Under 

 certain conditions, such as specific work or marked bravery 

 in the field, it was possible for the thrall to acquire his 

 freedom. 



We have seen that the title of " King " was held not only 

 by the Viceroys of Man, but by certain of the Sudreyan 

 chiefs. The regal title borne by the governors of Man 

 found its justification in the power which was actually 

 vested in them ; but notwithstanding the various attempts 

 made by these kinglets to assert their independence, it is 

 clear that their very existence was bound up with the 

 overlordship of Norway, which implied protection from 

 absorption by their powerful neighbours. The assumption 

 of the kingly dignity by the Hebridean chiefs rested upon 

 a different basis. In Norway, there were different classes 

 of " kings " : Sea-kings who never slept beneath a " sooty 

 rafter," and never drank at the " hearth- corner " ; Fylki an< 

 Herad-kings who were territorial magnates ; Host-kings 

 who, as the name denotes, were leaders of warriors the 

 term being frequently interchangeable with Sea-kings ; 

 and Skatt or Tax-kings. The lords of the Hebrides were 

 Skatt-kings, the term implying their tributary relationship 

 to Norway. Skatt * was a land tax originated by Harald 



* The words " skate " and sgadatt (the Gaelic name for herring) may possibly 

 be related to the fish tax. 



