fell in the assault. By this stage in the campaign, the fleet is stated to have reached a size of eighty ships, a tally which may indicate that Óspakr's fighting-force numbered over three thousand men. The castle itself was a holding of Walter fitz Alan II, Steward of Scotland, and the attack upon this stronghold seems to evince the anxiety felt by the Meic Somairle in the face of the steward's steadily increasing regional influence. The sacking of Bute, the most important island-holding of one of the most powerful Scottish magnates, seems to have spurned the Scots into action. Reports that Alan was in the vicinity, at the command of a massive fleet, is stated to have forced the Norwegians to withdraw to Kintyre. Whilst the Eirspennill version of the saga numbers Alan's fleet at almost two hundred ships, the Flateyjarbók, Frísbók, and Skálholtsbók versions give a tally of one hundred and fifty. These totals suggest that Alan commanded a force of two thousand or three thousand men. After the withdrawal of the fleet to Kintyre, the saga reports that Óspakr took ill and died. Óspakr seems to have succumbed to injuries sustained from the assault on Bute, as the Chronicle of Lanercost, and the Chronicle of Mann state that he was struck down by a stone, with the later source recording his burial on Iona. Either way, the saga reveals that Óspakr's fall was bitterly lamented amongst his followers. Command of the fleet was thereafter assumed by Óláfr, who successfully eluded Alan's forces, and diverted the fleet to Mann to suit his own needs. Although Óláfr was reinstated as king, he was forced to partition the realm with Guðrøðr, who took kingship in the Hebrides. The latter was evidently in Norway before Óláfr's arrival, and may have been one of Óspakr's principal supporters. One possibility is that Hákon originally intended for Óspakr and Guðrøðr to divide the kingdom at Óláfr's expense. Another possibility is that Hákon originally ordered a division of power between Óláfr and Guðrøðr Dond, and that Hákon originally promised to lend support to Óláfr's cause on the condition of a concession of authority to Guðrøðr, who—like Óspakr—could have been recognised as king by the Norwegian Crown. In any case, the Norwegian forces left Mann for home in the following spring, and established Guðrøðr in the Hebrides. Before the end of 1231, the latter was slain under