The king laughed heartily at this.
“I said a small farmer certainly, but I am not quite so unimportant as you seem to imply. I have a better horse to carry my corn than the one that to-day carried me to Dunvegan.”
The laird ignored this disparagement of his cattle.
“You came to Skye then to see the king’s boat, of which you had heard favourable report? The news of her seems to have travelled very quickly.”
“Indeed and that’s true,” said the king complacently. “Information spreads rapidly in the Highlands.”
“It seems to spread to the Lowlands as well. You heard the king’s proclamation perhaps?”
“Yes, we heard the pronouncement.”
“It’s possible you came from the fleet?”
“No. We came overland.”
“Had you heard of the fame of Malcolm’s boat before you left Stirling?”