[1] Fort Grebble sept 21st 62
Dear Sister we are all here in the
fort and all the litle fall
people are well we are in no
dander [2] of an atact or rather
we beleave we are safe. we have
ben engaged for the last week
in my favourite persuit that
is saping and mining
[anlguly?] termed bush
wacking we are cuting poles
about as big as hoop poles
wich are cut into
peases about 4 feet long
[page 2]
when they are driven into the
top of the paripet in a sircle
about 3 feet in diameter when
they are woven into a basket
with twigs and filled with
gravel the top of the paripet
and all of these are filled
with gravel as the botoms of
there baskets are botomles
and the uprites extend
a little below the filing
so they drive into the earth
they make quite
a formable resistance
[written sideways across top]
Since writing this leter
The male has come in
and braught yours of
the 18th I am hapy to
hear of your sucsess
as an author. how
much hapyer any one
is when they view them
that are more unfortunate
than themselvs and
extend a hand
to help than those
who are always enviing
those that apear to
to be more fortunate
than themselves
Lois Coulshaw of the 11th ME
was here to day and
to hear him tell how
they had to sufer made
our grumblers dry up
as they aught to do
write often M.P. Larry
[page 3]
I do not beleave I should
make a great soldier if
I should serve a thousand
years this siting down and
wating any length of time
for to receive your orders then
not knowing what you are to
work for then when you
work slow or fast it is
all the same only kill
the time and go through
the forms and you are all right
it is astonishing how litle can
be acomplished now to go through
all these formes we have to
march about two miles
to go to our work and spend
about half of the time in
geting into line when
our work is not more than
half a mile of we have
five hundred axes but not
a grind stone
[page 4]
I wishe we had a grind
stone to grined stone
to sharpen some of our ofisers
for they are
full as dull as our axes
I read your story with interest
but I should like to have
read it with out the knowledge
of who the author was I
shal not critersis the story
as I think all storys are a
matter of tast your had
one pasage wich I thaught fine
where ocurs as our faded kaps
float down the river of time se,
I idea of a story is one with
little senery and more human
nature characters of great
contrast even as picturs
that to be admired must
be of bright lights and deep
shades all harmonising
but of distinct outline
of charicter the vilain
should always be punished
and the good rewarded
but you I should not
have a herow perfect
as I agree with Titcome
that perfection is rather
bad taste yours truly
M.P. Larry