WITH THE MOUNTED POLICE 



33 



Mouth of Peace River 



was no night, but a sort of gloaming even at the 

 darkest and it took us four hours' hard rowing to 

 cover the ten miles that separated us from Chipewyan. 



It sounds very easy 

 and commonplace 

 when one says "hard 

 rowing," but it takes 

 on more significance 

 when one is reminded 

 that those oars were 18 feet long, 5 inches through, 

 and weighed about 20 pounds each; the boat was 30 

 feet long, a demasted schooner indeed, and rowing her 

 through shallow muddy water, where the ground suc- 

 tion was excessive, made labour so heavy that 15- 

 minute spells were all any one could do. We formed 

 four relays, and all worked in turn all night through, 

 arriving at Chipewyan 4 A. M., blistered, sore, and 

 completely tired out. 



Fort Chipewyan (pronounced Chip-we-yan) was Billy 

 Loutit's home, and here we met his father, mother, 

 and numerous as well as interesting sisters. Mean- 

 while I called 

 at the Roman 

 Catholic Mis- 

 sion, under 

 Bishop Gruard, and the rival establishment, under 

 Reverend Roberts, good men all, and devoted to the 

 cause, but loving not each other. The Hudson's Bay 

 Company, however, was here, as everywhere in the 

 north, the really important thing. 

 There was a long stretch of dead water before we 



Slave River. June 6, 1907 



