ier was anxious
to go on to Churchill, but had difficulty in persuading even the natives
to go, for they said, "No one travels in December and January--the days
are too cold." But the Inspector was thinking of others and writes in
his report: "I knew what a lot of anxiety the delay of this patrol would
cause and we hurried preparations." The trip was fraught with constant
danger from cold and privation, but they made Churchill on January 11.
Pelletier modestly says they did not suffer and shows how well off they
were when he can state that their dogs were never without food for more
than four days at a time! The men ran out of sugar and coffee, but he
makes light of that, though both are a great help on a cold journey.
They met no natives from whom their stocks of deer and other skins could
be replenished, and so when they were stormbound for a day here and
there they darned and patched so as to prolong the life of their shoes.

The Inspector lets in some light on the general situation when he
writes: "The worst feature of a long journey like this in a country
where no fuel is to be procured, is the absolute impossibility of drying
clothing, bedding, etc. The moisture from the body accumulates and there
are no means to dry clothing to get rid of it in any way, and every day
sees it harder to put on in the morning and the beds harder to get into
at night, until both clothing and bedding become as stiff as a board
from the ice. It is a very uninviting task and disagreeable procedure
getting into an icy bed at night and in the morning getting into icy
clothes." When both clothes and food were frozen and even the prospect
of getting an occasional piece of driftwood was dim, one can imagine the
situation and wonder at the endurance as well as the daring of these
men.

And when this state of affairs is realized one can appreciate the action
of Constable Ford as related by Corporal Reeves and forwarded in the
usual way by Superintendent J. D. Moodie, from Fort Churchill. Some
driftwood had been secured, and clothes dried when the party, consisting
of Sergeant Donaldson (in charge), Constables Reeves and Ford with two
natives, were off Marble Island and anchoring their boat, the
_MacTavish_ (which was wrecked later, as mentioned). Ford went over to
another island in a small boat to get some walrus meat, as they sighted
some walrus there. He came back and reported having killed some, and the
three constables went over to cut of