"What, exactly, does one do on a Nature walk, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked
as he and Daniel led their group of chattering boys out past the horse
corral and into the wooded area of the camp.
"Well... you look at nature." Daniel said, gesturing to the trees all around them. "And... um... you walk." Several of their boys ran past them, following a trail that had obviously been made over countless years of nature walks. "And sometimes you run."
Teal'c looked at him, waiting for more, but Daniel didn't have anything to add.
"I haven't actually been on a nature walk, before, Murray," he admitted. "I guess you have to think of it as a reconnaissance hike. Only without the guns, and the tense nervousness of waiting for something to spring out at you."
Teal'c didn't look at all convinced, but he nodded. "Very well."
"Hey guys?" Daniel called, and waited for the boys who had run ahead to come back and rejoin the main group. "I don't want you all running off too far, okay?" He pointed to the path. "We'll stay in sight of the path and within hearing of Murray and I. That way we can stick together."
"It's too bad Jack couldn't come," one of the boys said.
"Yes," Daniel said, agreeing completely. "He doesn't know what he's missing out on, does he?"
"We should bring him stuff," Said Simon. "So he can see what we saw."
"That's a great idea, Simon." Daniel said. "While we're walking, let's look for stuff that Jack might like to see."
Teal'c looked around as they led their boys further into the woods, but he wasn't looking for items for O'Neill. Without realizing it, his second nature had kicked in, and he was looking for trouble where none would be seen immediately. After all, he'd made an oath to Andrew's mother that he would watch the boy. And that meant keeping anything away from him that might harm him.
"Hey Daniel?" Teal'c looked over to see that Shawn had taken off down the path, and was a good hundred feet away, partially hidden in the undergrowth. "Can you hear me now?"
~~*~
They walked for almost a half an hour, the boys chattering excitedly and stopping occasionally to pick something up off the ground and stuff it in a pocket. Daniel didn't ask what they were collecting, certain that he didn't want to know. He'd been concerned at first that one of the boys would wander off the trail and out of hearing, but Shawn had fixed that with his original yell. Now the woods echoed with a sporadic 'Can you hear me now?' and if the boy didn't get an answer, he'd come trotting back until he did. It wasn't as good as tying them all together with a rope to keep them together, but it was far more effective than he had originally thought it would be.
Of course, Teal'c was helping a great deal. Whenever he thought a boy was wandering too far away, he'd simply bellow the name of the lad in question, which had the instant affect of bringing him back to a more manageable distance. He was watching the boys intently, pointing out untied shoelaces, and roots or other obstacles in the trail that might be a hazard to them. Obviously Teal'c was taking his duties seriously, and was watching the boys like a mother hen. A mother hen to be reckoned with.
When Andrew started flagging after another fifteen minutes of hiking, Teal'c simply picked the boy up and put him on his shoulders to give him a rest. After that, of course, all the boys had to have a turn, although they luckily only asked Teal'c. Daniel was sure he might be able to tote Andrew around, who was considerably smaller than the rest of his cabin mates, but he didn't think the others would be quite so easily.
"Daniel!" Shawn came running up with a small group of the boys at his heels, brandishing something in his small fist. "Look what I found!"
He handed the item over to Daniel, who looked down at it.
"Hey! An arrowhead." Daniel examined it carefully.
"Is it really?" Shawn couldn't hide his excitement, nor did he bother trying. He looked at the other boys, "I told you!"
"Yes," Daniel said as the rest of the boys gathered around. "It's Ute. They used to live in this area for hundreds of years." He pointed to the edge of the arrowhead, which was in as good a condition any Daniel had ever seen. "You see the way the edge is chipped so it has a little bit of a barb? That's how you know what tribe of Indians made it. Because some tribes made theirs different ways."
"How do you know that?" one of the boys asked, genuinely impressed.
"He's a arconogist, remember?" Answered another before Daniel could say anything.
"That's not how you say it. It's Ackinologist."
"No, there's an R in there somewhere."
Daniel smiled and handed the arrowhead back to Shawn. "Hold onto that, Shawn," He told the grinning boy. "It's really a good find."
Shawn put it in his pocket and ran off to see what else he could find, followed closely by a few others, all of whom were watching the ground to see if they, too, could find an arrowhead.
There were other finds, that afternoon. By the time Daniel and Teal'c had decided they'd gone far enough and started the boys heading back to camp, one of the boys had found a piece of shale that he'd thought was pretty cool looking and had brought it back to Daniel to see. Daniel had been suitably impressed, but then had surprised the boy by breaking it with another rock, making sure to angle the crack, and the boys had all shouted excitedly when the broken rock exposed a thin line of gold metal.
"It's not real gold," Daniel had explained to them before they could all start thinking they were rich. "It's called fool's gold. It's Mother Nature's idea of a good joke to play on people who were coming up here to mine way back when."
"It's cool." One of the boys said, and again, the search was on, this time to find more fool's gold. Enough that everyone could have some.
"Murray!" Andrew came rushing up to Teal'c for the millionth time that day. Teal'c looked down, and Andrew handed him a little lizard. "I found him on a tree! Isn't he neat?"
The Jaffa looked at the small creature in his hand, and then at the boy. Daniel was certain that Teal'c didn't think the lizard was quite as 'neat' as Andrew did, but he hid his smile and watched.
"It is, indeed, Andrew," Teal'c said, giving the boy a smile.
"You can keep it, if you want."
Daniel was suddenly in the midst of a coughing fit as he hid his sudden laughter at the look on Teal'c's face. It was obvious the last thing the Jaffa needed, or wanted, was a pet lizard.
"If we take this creature from his home, do you not think his mother would miss him, Andrew?" Teal'c asked. The boy's face fell, and it was obvious he was thinking about that.
"I didn't think about that, Murray," Andrew admitted, taking the little lizard back from him. "I better put him back where I found him, huh?"
"Indeed. So he will know his way home." Teal'c smiled once more, and Andrew grinned, then took off at a dead run back the way he'd come.
"I couldn't have said that better myself, Murray," Daniel said as the boy disappeared into the brush, a loud rustling all that showed them which direction he was going. "How did you think of it so quickly? I thought sure you were going to end up taking it back to camp with us."
"Major Carter one time used that line when Cassandra came up with a lady bug on her finger." Teal'c explained. "I merely adapted it to my own use."
"Ah."
"Well... you look at nature." Daniel said, gesturing to the trees all around them. "And... um... you walk." Several of their boys ran past them, following a trail that had obviously been made over countless years of nature walks. "And sometimes you run."
Teal'c looked at him, waiting for more, but Daniel didn't have anything to add.
"I haven't actually been on a nature walk, before, Murray," he admitted. "I guess you have to think of it as a reconnaissance hike. Only without the guns, and the tense nervousness of waiting for something to spring out at you."
Teal'c didn't look at all convinced, but he nodded. "Very well."
"Hey guys?" Daniel called, and waited for the boys who had run ahead to come back and rejoin the main group. "I don't want you all running off too far, okay?" He pointed to the path. "We'll stay in sight of the path and within hearing of Murray and I. That way we can stick together."
"It's too bad Jack couldn't come," one of the boys said.
"Yes," Daniel said, agreeing completely. "He doesn't know what he's missing out on, does he?"
"We should bring him stuff," Said Simon. "So he can see what we saw."
"That's a great idea, Simon." Daniel said. "While we're walking, let's look for stuff that Jack might like to see."
Teal'c looked around as they led their boys further into the woods, but he wasn't looking for items for O'Neill. Without realizing it, his second nature had kicked in, and he was looking for trouble where none would be seen immediately. After all, he'd made an oath to Andrew's mother that he would watch the boy. And that meant keeping anything away from him that might harm him.
"Hey Daniel?" Teal'c looked over to see that Shawn had taken off down the path, and was a good hundred feet away, partially hidden in the undergrowth. "Can you hear me now?"
~~*~
They walked for almost a half an hour, the boys chattering excitedly and stopping occasionally to pick something up off the ground and stuff it in a pocket. Daniel didn't ask what they were collecting, certain that he didn't want to know. He'd been concerned at first that one of the boys would wander off the trail and out of hearing, but Shawn had fixed that with his original yell. Now the woods echoed with a sporadic 'Can you hear me now?' and if the boy didn't get an answer, he'd come trotting back until he did. It wasn't as good as tying them all together with a rope to keep them together, but it was far more effective than he had originally thought it would be.
Of course, Teal'c was helping a great deal. Whenever he thought a boy was wandering too far away, he'd simply bellow the name of the lad in question, which had the instant affect of bringing him back to a more manageable distance. He was watching the boys intently, pointing out untied shoelaces, and roots or other obstacles in the trail that might be a hazard to them. Obviously Teal'c was taking his duties seriously, and was watching the boys like a mother hen. A mother hen to be reckoned with.
When Andrew started flagging after another fifteen minutes of hiking, Teal'c simply picked the boy up and put him on his shoulders to give him a rest. After that, of course, all the boys had to have a turn, although they luckily only asked Teal'c. Daniel was sure he might be able to tote Andrew around, who was considerably smaller than the rest of his cabin mates, but he didn't think the others would be quite so easily.
"Daniel!" Shawn came running up with a small group of the boys at his heels, brandishing something in his small fist. "Look what I found!"
He handed the item over to Daniel, who looked down at it.
"Hey! An arrowhead." Daniel examined it carefully.
"Is it really?" Shawn couldn't hide his excitement, nor did he bother trying. He looked at the other boys, "I told you!"
"Yes," Daniel said as the rest of the boys gathered around. "It's Ute. They used to live in this area for hundreds of years." He pointed to the edge of the arrowhead, which was in as good a condition any Daniel had ever seen. "You see the way the edge is chipped so it has a little bit of a barb? That's how you know what tribe of Indians made it. Because some tribes made theirs different ways."
"How do you know that?" one of the boys asked, genuinely impressed.
"He's a arconogist, remember?" Answered another before Daniel could say anything.
"That's not how you say it. It's Ackinologist."
"No, there's an R in there somewhere."
Daniel smiled and handed the arrowhead back to Shawn. "Hold onto that, Shawn," He told the grinning boy. "It's really a good find."
Shawn put it in his pocket and ran off to see what else he could find, followed closely by a few others, all of whom were watching the ground to see if they, too, could find an arrowhead.
There were other finds, that afternoon. By the time Daniel and Teal'c had decided they'd gone far enough and started the boys heading back to camp, one of the boys had found a piece of shale that he'd thought was pretty cool looking and had brought it back to Daniel to see. Daniel had been suitably impressed, but then had surprised the boy by breaking it with another rock, making sure to angle the crack, and the boys had all shouted excitedly when the broken rock exposed a thin line of gold metal.
"It's not real gold," Daniel had explained to them before they could all start thinking they were rich. "It's called fool's gold. It's Mother Nature's idea of a good joke to play on people who were coming up here to mine way back when."
"It's cool." One of the boys said, and again, the search was on, this time to find more fool's gold. Enough that everyone could have some.
"Murray!" Andrew came rushing up to Teal'c for the millionth time that day. Teal'c looked down, and Andrew handed him a little lizard. "I found him on a tree! Isn't he neat?"
The Jaffa looked at the small creature in his hand, and then at the boy. Daniel was certain that Teal'c didn't think the lizard was quite as 'neat' as Andrew did, but he hid his smile and watched.
"It is, indeed, Andrew," Teal'c said, giving the boy a smile.
"You can keep it, if you want."
Daniel was suddenly in the midst of a coughing fit as he hid his sudden laughter at the look on Teal'c's face. It was obvious the last thing the Jaffa needed, or wanted, was a pet lizard.
"If we take this creature from his home, do you not think his mother would miss him, Andrew?" Teal'c asked. The boy's face fell, and it was obvious he was thinking about that.
"I didn't think about that, Murray," Andrew admitted, taking the little lizard back from him. "I better put him back where I found him, huh?"
"Indeed. So he will know his way home." Teal'c smiled once more, and Andrew grinned, then took off at a dead run back the way he'd come.
"I couldn't have said that better myself, Murray," Daniel said as the boy disappeared into the brush, a loud rustling all that showed them which direction he was going. "How did you think of it so quickly? I thought sure you were going to end up taking it back to camp with us."
"Major Carter one time used that line when Cassandra came up with a lady bug on her finger." Teal'c explained. "I merely adapted it to my own use."
"Ah."