"Find anything interesting?"
Jack shook his head. He and Jaffer were returning from their walk, which had ended up being quite the hike, although they hadn't strayed all that far from the camp. They'd just made a huge circle around it, checking for anything that might pose a risk to his team during their stay. They'd found a large stream that could be used for bathing or just soaking, and Jaffer had flushed a lot more wildlife out of the brush, but neither of them had seen anything to make them nervous, or anything that looked remotely dangerous.
Once they'd made the entire circuit, and had ended up where they'd started, more or less, Jack had decided it was time to check on the others. Besides, it looked like it was starting to get late, and he wanted to make sure everything was okay at camp, and that Daniel wasn't cross-eyed, yet, from staring at the same wall for the last two hours.
O'Neill looked over at the ruins, where Daniel was still sitting in the place he'd been sitting when Jack left. He now had a notebook and a clipboard on his lap, though, and was writing something – notes most likely, Jack decided. Teal'c was lounging nearby, his staff weapon close at hand in case he needed it.
"Has Daniel even moved?"
"He came over and got some paper, mumbled something about Greek or Roman, and went right back to where he is now."
"Did you finish writing your journal?"
"For today."
"Am I in it, now?"
Sam smiled. He was like a puppy with a shoe. "Yes, you're in it."
"Can I read it?"
"Nope."
"Awww..."
"Nope."
He tried the sad puppy eyes. Nothing doing. Sam shook her head.
"Sam..."
"It's supposed to be private, Jack."
"But-"
"Why don't we go see what Daniel's doing?"
"He's looking at the wall."
"Maybe we can help."
She stood up and dusted off her pants, then the three of them walked over to the walled ruin that Daniel was sitting next to. He was tracing a symbol with his finger, and then drawing it on the paper on the clipboard in his lap, muttering softly to himself, obviously puzzled.
"What have you found out, Daniel?"
There was no response.
"Daniel!"
Daniel looked up. Obviously he hadn't heard them approach.
"Sorry. What?"
"What have you learned?" Jack asked, slowly.
Daniel scowled.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nope."
"Who built it?"
Daniel shrugged. "No clue."
"What kind of people are they?" Sam asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm not even sure what kind of writing it is." He scowled, again, his face still looking puzzled. "Or even if it is writing. It might just be pictures."
He looked over at Jaffer, who had wandered off slightly down the wrecked wall, and scowled, thinking the dog was looking for a new place to water. "At first I thought it might be Roman, since some of the pictures have the same style of characterization that are found in the ancient Roman scripts dating back from-"
"Daniel..."
"Sorry."
"It's not Roman?" Sam asked.
"It's nothing from Europe, Sam. Not anything I recognize, anyways. It's pictoform of some sort, I'm almost positive, but I'm not sure what the pictures represent. There's none of the tell tale symbols, like water or fire to use as a common denominator."
"We have plenty of time to figure it out," Jack told him, looking over to check on Jaffer. The black lab was working his way across the ruins, his nose close to the ground, and his tail wagging. Obviously he'd found a trail made by something interesting, Jack decided. "Let's get some dinner started."
"You guys go ahead. I'm going to work on this-"
"Daniel. You can work on it until I get dinner made, then you're done until morning."
"Jack, I need more ti-"
Jaffer sneezed, drawing Jack's attention once more to his dog. Sam turned as well, frowning when she watched Jaffer vanish behind a half-crumbled wall that was about halfway across the ruined floor. He sneezed again, and she saw his tail stop wagging. Jack saw it as well, and stood up. Then the tail vanished, and in the silence of the afternoon they could hear his claws scrabbling on the stone.
"Jaffer?"
Jack headed across the ruin to see what was so interesting, followed closely by Teal'c who'd picked up his staff weapon.
"Jaffer?"
Jack came around the wall and saw the black lab digging at a depression in the side of the wall. The dog wasn't prone to digging at home – something Jack's yard was grateful for – but he was going at it with a passion just then, his tail once more wagging as he made his way through the crumbled remains of the wall and into the soft core of whatever it was the inside of the wall was made of.
"Jack! Don't let him do that." Daniel had come over as well, with Sam, and was extremely annoyed to find Jack's dog trying to destroy the entire wall single-handedly. Bad enough he'd already peed on it.
"Jaf-"
The dog sneezed, then lunged forward, his head disappearing into the hole he'd made in the wall; the black tail wagging so hard his butt was wagging as well.
"What in the world is he doing?"
"He's destroying the-"
Jaffer pulled his head out of the wall. He was dusty and covered in some kind of dark slimy substance, but none of them noticed. In his mouth the black lab had the edge of a very tattered, very ancient-looking cloth bag - which was also dirty and covered with the slimy substance - that was so large, he was still pulling it out of the wall.
Daniel reached out, touching the bag as well, but it was Jack who helped Jaffer get it the rest of the way out of its hiding spot. Whatever it was, and whatever might be in it, it was large, but extremely pliable.
"What the hell...?"
Jaffer sneezed again.
Jack shook his head. He and Jaffer were returning from their walk, which had ended up being quite the hike, although they hadn't strayed all that far from the camp. They'd just made a huge circle around it, checking for anything that might pose a risk to his team during their stay. They'd found a large stream that could be used for bathing or just soaking, and Jaffer had flushed a lot more wildlife out of the brush, but neither of them had seen anything to make them nervous, or anything that looked remotely dangerous.
Once they'd made the entire circuit, and had ended up where they'd started, more or less, Jack had decided it was time to check on the others. Besides, it looked like it was starting to get late, and he wanted to make sure everything was okay at camp, and that Daniel wasn't cross-eyed, yet, from staring at the same wall for the last two hours.
O'Neill looked over at the ruins, where Daniel was still sitting in the place he'd been sitting when Jack left. He now had a notebook and a clipboard on his lap, though, and was writing something – notes most likely, Jack decided. Teal'c was lounging nearby, his staff weapon close at hand in case he needed it.
"Has Daniel even moved?"
"He came over and got some paper, mumbled something about Greek or Roman, and went right back to where he is now."
"Did you finish writing your journal?"
"For today."
"Am I in it, now?"
Sam smiled. He was like a puppy with a shoe. "Yes, you're in it."
"Can I read it?"
"Nope."
"Awww..."
"Nope."
He tried the sad puppy eyes. Nothing doing. Sam shook her head.
"Sam..."
"It's supposed to be private, Jack."
"But-"
"Why don't we go see what Daniel's doing?"
"He's looking at the wall."
"Maybe we can help."
She stood up and dusted off her pants, then the three of them walked over to the walled ruin that Daniel was sitting next to. He was tracing a symbol with his finger, and then drawing it on the paper on the clipboard in his lap, muttering softly to himself, obviously puzzled.
"What have you found out, Daniel?"
There was no response.
"Daniel!"
Daniel looked up. Obviously he hadn't heard them approach.
"Sorry. What?"
"What have you learned?" Jack asked, slowly.
Daniel scowled.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nope."
"Who built it?"
Daniel shrugged. "No clue."
"What kind of people are they?" Sam asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm not even sure what kind of writing it is." He scowled, again, his face still looking puzzled. "Or even if it is writing. It might just be pictures."
He looked over at Jaffer, who had wandered off slightly down the wrecked wall, and scowled, thinking the dog was looking for a new place to water. "At first I thought it might be Roman, since some of the pictures have the same style of characterization that are found in the ancient Roman scripts dating back from-"
"Daniel..."
"Sorry."
"It's not Roman?" Sam asked.
"It's nothing from Europe, Sam. Not anything I recognize, anyways. It's pictoform of some sort, I'm almost positive, but I'm not sure what the pictures represent. There's none of the tell tale symbols, like water or fire to use as a common denominator."
"We have plenty of time to figure it out," Jack told him, looking over to check on Jaffer. The black lab was working his way across the ruins, his nose close to the ground, and his tail wagging. Obviously he'd found a trail made by something interesting, Jack decided. "Let's get some dinner started."
"You guys go ahead. I'm going to work on this-"
"Daniel. You can work on it until I get dinner made, then you're done until morning."
"Jack, I need more ti-"
Jaffer sneezed, drawing Jack's attention once more to his dog. Sam turned as well, frowning when she watched Jaffer vanish behind a half-crumbled wall that was about halfway across the ruined floor. He sneezed again, and she saw his tail stop wagging. Jack saw it as well, and stood up. Then the tail vanished, and in the silence of the afternoon they could hear his claws scrabbling on the stone.
"Jaffer?"
Jack headed across the ruin to see what was so interesting, followed closely by Teal'c who'd picked up his staff weapon.
"Jaffer?"
Jack came around the wall and saw the black lab digging at a depression in the side of the wall. The dog wasn't prone to digging at home – something Jack's yard was grateful for – but he was going at it with a passion just then, his tail once more wagging as he made his way through the crumbled remains of the wall and into the soft core of whatever it was the inside of the wall was made of.
"Jack! Don't let him do that." Daniel had come over as well, with Sam, and was extremely annoyed to find Jack's dog trying to destroy the entire wall single-handedly. Bad enough he'd already peed on it.
"Jaf-"
The dog sneezed, then lunged forward, his head disappearing into the hole he'd made in the wall; the black tail wagging so hard his butt was wagging as well.
"What in the world is he doing?"
"He's destroying the-"
Jaffer pulled his head out of the wall. He was dusty and covered in some kind of dark slimy substance, but none of them noticed. In his mouth the black lab had the edge of a very tattered, very ancient-looking cloth bag - which was also dirty and covered with the slimy substance - that was so large, he was still pulling it out of the wall.
Daniel reached out, touching the bag as well, but it was Jack who helped Jaffer get it the rest of the way out of its hiding spot. Whatever it was, and whatever might be in it, it was large, but extremely pliable.
"What the hell...?"
Jaffer sneezed again.