By the time everything was ready for the trip, it was early afternoon. The days were longer, but they would still have very little real light. Ben Vittrekwa led the procession with Inspector Limpkert in his toboggan. Johnny followed with Wayne, while Ted with Robin brought up the rear.
The trail was in excellent condition and the teams made good time. They followed the Peel River due south, then cut west on Vitrequois Creek. The trail once again moved south past Stoney Creek and White Fox Creek. At this point the trail crossed into Yukon Territory and continued past Caribou House River, Sister Creek, and Timber Creek. It was dark now, but the moon was full. Ben and Johnny knew the trail well, so staying on course was no problem. It was well after 7:00 p.m. when they passed Rock River. They stopped at this point, and Ted suggested they set up camp.
"Nonsense!" Inspector Limpkert said. "We have a full moon and a clear sky. We'll continue. Now what in blazes are those two up to?"
Ben and Johnny had moved off the trail and were digging in an area where the ground was exposed. Johnny had a knapsack out and was placing something inside.
"There's a certain red ochre in the soil here, sir," Ted said. "The local people collect it to dye birch wood snowshoes and caribou hides. They believe the location is special."
"Hmmph! Let's get going, men!"
Johnny returned to his toboggan and placed the knapsack inside. Then he took a small pouch of tobacco and walked back to where he had been digging. Ben was close behind him.
"Get back here, men!" the inspector ordered. "We need to get moving!"
Johnny stopped and glanced at Ted, who cleared his throat. "Sir, the people believe that if you take the ochre, you have to leave an offering in return. If you don't, the spirits might cause bad weather or some other terrible thing."
The inspector waved Johnny and Ben back to their teams. "Nonsense! A bunch of Native mumbo-jumbo! Let's move on immediately!"
Johnny silently shook his head.
The group got underway and travelled over hard-packed snow that shone in the moonlight like a vast white ocean. The sound of the toboggans sliding over the snow soothed Robin, and his head bobbed with the onset of sleep. The weather so far had been clear and mild, but after several miles a slight wind began to blow in from the north. The temperature had been a reasonable minus eighteen, but as the wind picked up force it seemed much colder. By the time they covered another half mile, it was almost impossible to see as the wind scattered loose snow over the trail.
Admitting defeat, Inspector Limpkert gave the men permission to halt and put up their tents for the night. The wind made the task difficult, but eventually they erected two tents and secured them. The inspector and Ted bunked in one tent, while Robin and Wayne decided they would sleep in the other with Johnny and Ben. Nestled in their sleeping bags with the wind howling against the canvas, everyone was soon asleep.
At one point Robin opened his eyes, unsure if something had disturbed his sleep or if it had just been the wind shrieking. As his sight adjusted to the darkness, he spotted someone hunched just inside the door flap. Propping himself on one elbow, Robin squinted and realized it was Johnny. "Hey, Johnny!"
"Shhhh." Johnny held a finger to his lips. Smiling, he raised his other hand. In it was the pouch of tobacco. "I'll be back soon." Turning, he quickly slipped out into the storm and was gone.
Robin drifted in and out of sleep. He dreamed of wind spirits and huge birds. He floated in the clouds and rode the currents of air. When he woke sometime later, the high wind had calmed to a light breeze, gently rippling the sides of the tent. He heard a low rustling and raised his head.
Johnny entered the tent and smiled. "I thought I better take care of my mumbo-jumbo." Then, with a wink, he crept into his sleeping bag.
Robin lay back, curled up in the warmth, and began to dream again. This time he was visited by friendly spirits who rocked him gently to sleep.