The HBC and Robert Cunningham came to a mutual decision that the rivalry was not profitable and an agreement was reached to end it. Cunningham tied up his vessel, and the HBC hauled his freight for free. Later, the HBC bought the "Hazelton". The new arrangements between the HBC and Robert Cunningham left Captain Bonser without a vessel until 1906 when he took command of the "Pheasant", a small sternwheeler that was the butt of many jokes and nicknamed the "Chicken" because it had to scratch so hard to get upstream. She was wrecked that autumn in the Redrock Canyon, the first loss of Bonser’s long career, although not his last. Bonser’s next boat was the "Northwest", which was owned by the Northern British Columbia Transportation Company, a company which also had a hotel and store at Telkwa. The "Northwest's" main purpose was to deliver liquor from the coast to hotels along the Skeena.