I shall
receive."

"Then why does your majesty wish to have my opinion?" asked the
Highlander.

"Lord, I'll want more than your opinion before this is done with, but
I may tell you at once that there's troublesome news from Skye."

"Are the MacLeods up again?"

"Aye, they're up and down. They're up in their anger and down on their
neighbours. I cannot fathom the intricacies of their disputes, but it
may interest you to know that some of your clan are engaged in it. I
suspect that Alexander MacLeod of Dunvegan is behind all this,
although he may not be an active participant."

"Ah, that is Allaster Crottach," said the young man, knitting his
brows.

"Allaster, yes, but what does Crottach mean?" asked the king.

"It means the humpback."

"Yes, that's the man, and a crafty plausible old gentleman he is. He
got a charter under the Great Seal, of all his lands, from my father,
dated the fifteenth of June, 1468. This did not satisfy him, and when
I came to the throne he asked for a similar charter from me, which I
signed on the thirteenth of February last. Its conditions seemed to be
most advantageous to him, for all that was required of him was that he
should keep for my use a galley of twenty-six oars, and likewise keep
the peace. I am not aware whether the galley has been built or not,
but there is certainly very little peace where a MacLeod has a
claymore in his hand. Now, Jamie, the MacLeods are your neighbours in
Sleat, so tell me what you would do were the king's crown on your
head?"

"I should withdraw their charter," said MacDonald.

"That seems but just," concurred the king, "still, I doubt if our
friend the humpback places very much value on the writing of his
august sovereign. He knows he holds his lands as he holds his sword,
his grip on the one relaxing when he loses his grip on the other. We
will suppose, however, the charter withdrawn and the MacLeod laughing
defiance at us. What next, MacDonald?"

"Next! I would raise an army and march against him and make him laugh
on the other side of his crooked mouth."

"Hum," said the king, "that means traversing the country of the
Grahams, who would probably let us by; then we next meet the Stewarts,
and for my name's sake perhaps they might not molest us. We march out
of their country into the land of the MacNabs, and the chief is an old
friend of mine, so we need fear no disturbance there. After that we
must trust ourselves to the tender mercies of t