Fort Otter
Near Battleford
Apl. 29/85

Dear Katie

I received your nice letter the other day while I was on escort duty with some more of the Guard about 50 miles down [between?] here and Swift Current. We met the mail carrier on his way to Battleford and he kindly gave us our letters and I got yours and one from Father. I have been doing some pretty hard work since I arrived here but am getting along all right we worked all day at the embankment which has been thrown up around the Sont building and has been christened Fort Otter in honor of our Commandant. This morning I was working with the rest be our fatigue party in levelling an enormous dunghill, that’s a beastly job, [how?] I will not have any more of that kind for some time as we have orders from headquarters to furnish 20 Sharpshooters to form part of an expedition against Chief Poundmaker.

You will have heard by the papers the strength of our party so I will not waste time in telling you the force however will amount to about 250 or perhaps a few more. There is no doubt that the affair will be No Picnic but I hope my bad luck will change and run the other way, however I suppose that I am in the hands of God here as well as at home, so I will hope for the best, if anything should happen to me you will of course do your best to comfort the “Old Folk’s at Home”. We are getting better meals now as we have hired a cook from Battleford to do our work, we are giving him $46 a month and so far he has done very well and is an Irishman who has just come down on foot from Fort Pitt which you know was taken from the Indians. I have talked to one of the N.W.M.P who formerly went to the College at Ottawa and he gave me a good account of the affair and their very perilous escape. I was sorry to hear that my old French master Father Fafard had been massacred at Frog Lake he was not a bad fellow by any means to me when at school.

I have to write to Father before I turn in so I will have to bid you good bye

Your Affec brother
Lewis L Brophy