Like many who have tried their hands at the Irish problem, Sir Nicholas Arnold began with great professions, and after much disturbing men's minds showed that he was no cleverer than those who had gone before him. Great as his failure had been in dealing with Shane, Sussex had at least kept tolerable order in the districts which paid some regard to law. Arnold was accused of caring little whether there was war or peace. His harsh treatment of the O'Connors has been already noticed, and the O'Reillys were handled in much the same way. They had plundered on the border of the Pale, and Shane O'Neill, anxious to assert his power, offered to compel restitution. Arnold preferred to make Kildare the instrument of punishment. A parley was first held, and promise of restitution made by old Malachias O'Reilly and his sons, Hugh and Edmund. Cahir O'Reilly, the chief offender, was to be punished. It soon appeared that Cahir was out of reach in Shane's country, and that some of the hostages demanded were also there. The camp was the scene of much confusion, Kildare's men threatening and even throwing stones at Sir George Stanley, the Marshal, and raising the ominous cries of 'Cromaboo!' and 'Down with the English churls!' The Earl with difficulty pacified his men, but Arnold, who all along showed the most extraordinary subservience to Kildare, and was on the worst terms with Stanley, declined to notice the outrage.[108] [Sidenote: The O'Reillys.] A remarkable conversation took place between Arnold and Hugh O'Reilly, whom he urged to take the government of the country on himself. Hugh answered that O'Donnell was evil spoken of for assuming the government while his father lived, and that he saw not those punished who killed the Queen's subjects. Shane O'Neill murdered his father, and procured the murder of his brother, who was five times as valuable to the Crown as any O'Reilly could be. The politicians of the Pale would maintain his half brother against him, and perhaps seek his life. If O'Neill ceased to protect Cahir, 'then,' said Hugh, 'I say for O'Reilly, your prisoner, and for his eldest son, if any of them receive men or meat from O'Reilly's country, I will die but they shall be delivered to your governor, or all their hurts past be paid for presently.' He was quite willing to give hostages, but not to undertake to give those beyond his reach. According to Fitzwilliam Hugh meant well, and in any case the original aggressor was not Cahir O'Reilly but Kildare himself. Any damage done to the Pale had been more than paid for already. 'Arnold,' he said, 'means well, but Ireland, in my opinion, though it be brute and rude, is not known to every man for a year or two's trial.'[109] [Sidenote: Mistakes of Arnold.]