Lake, Evans left aboard a steamer with a detachment of 80 men to join the team at Fort Selkirk, but the boat hit a rock while coming back to pick up the remainder of the men. The force instead sailed across the lake using four scows and five smaller row boats they had built from local trees, having originally intended to use them to carry their supplies. The scows were long and could carry of cargo and 30 men; they had sails, and were fitted with a stove for cooking. They finally arrived in Fort Selkirk on September 11, having covered another from Teslin Lake. A small detachment of mounted police were already stationed at Fort Selkirk to monitor the river traffic, and the advance team of the force had been working with contractors to make good progress on the new garrison buildings. The combined force completed the work, creating a compound of eleven log buildings around a central parade ground. Duties in the Yukon Although the headquarters of the force remained at Fort Selkirk, over the course of October and November 1898, 72 men and one of the Maxim guns were sent to Dawson City to support the mounted police. The Dawson detachment protected the gold held by the various banks in the town, guarded prisoners, helped to construct local hospitals, and took part in fighting fires – the town was built from wood and particularly vulnerable to conflagration. They also carried out some ceremonial duties. The Fort Selkirk garrison was considered to be quite isolated and men were moved between the two sites over the winter to reduce the boredom. During the warmer months of 1899, weekly military exercises were carried out by the force and a rifle range was constructed. Withdrawal By 1899, the risk of annexation had passed and General Edward Hutton, the new General Officer Commanding Canadian Militia, was unhappy with the role of the Yukon Field Force. He argued that it was inappropriately employed in support of civil tasks, and that having so many regular soldiers deployed there was harming the Permanent Force's ability to train the rest of the militia. As a result, half the force was withdrawn in July 1899 and returned to Canada, this time travelling via the faster route of White Pass and Skagway through United States' territory. In October, war broke out between Britain and the Boer Republics in