f their heads and bring these over.
As they were engaged in this task it began to get dark, so Donaldson and
Reeves left for the _MacTavish_ with some heads, leaving Ford on the
island to cut up the rest of the meat and one of the natives would come
back for him later. On the way to the _MacTavish_ a walrus struck the
boat and Donaldson was drowned, but Reeves, who had done his best to
help Donaldson, managed to swim back to the island where Ford had been
left. Reeves was completely numb with cold and weak with his struggles.
There was no means of getting a fire on that island, but gathering all
his strength he shouted in the darkness and Ford, who had not seen the
wreck, came to his help. Reeves writes vividly of an act of sacrifice on
the part of his companion: "By this time I was very numb and helpless
through being in the water so long and getting into the night air, which
was very cold. My clothing being soaked through, I would certainly have
perished had it not been for Constable Ford, who took off my wet clothes
and gave me his dry ones--wringing out as much water from my clothes as
he could he put them on himself." Then, in this icy suit, Ford searched
all night for Donaldson in vain. It was running a most desperate risk of
losing his own life, and if done under the eyes of others would have
been declared as valorous as the deed of any man who ever rode back to
rescue a wounded comrade under fire of the enemy.

Inspector Pelletier's patrol returned to Regina after nearly a year's
absence, during which they travelled by trail and water about 3,500
miles, a most extraordinary feat. The report of the patrol decided some
important points as to the nature of the country, the conditions of the
natives and the places where detachments of Police should be located.

Up in the sub-Arctic regions in the other directions, the Mounted Police
were keeping their lonely vigils and making their hazardous journeys.
Staff-Sergeant (later Inspector) Fitzgerald, who after several years in
charge at Herschell Island was relieved in 1909 by Inspector Jennings,
gives a little pen-picture of the place when he says, "Herschell Island
is one of the most lonely places when there are no whaling ships. There
is no place one can go except to visit a few hungry natives, and there
is no white man to visit nearer than 180 miles." After speaking highly
of his comrades, Constables Carter and Kinny, he refers to one journey
incidentally and says, "