Chapter 8

General George Hammond was having a wonderful time. He was sitting at a campfire or fire circle, as Teal'c said it was called, and talking to an honest to god real Indian Chief. Admittedly, the circumstances that brought him here were less than favorable. His first contact team, SG1had gotten into a scrape with the Goulds and he knew that at least three of them had sustained injuries. He hadn't see Dr. Jackson yet, but he found it hard to believe the boy had gotten by unscathed. Two Spears, as he was called, and he were having a conversation of sorts about village life. It was of sorts because Teal'c was serving as interpreter and the big man was the first to admit that his knowledge of the Indian language was less then perfect. The chief's wife had made them some delicious little corn cakes and they were drinking some kind of sweet tea while they talked. Dr. Frazier had disappeared into one of the adobe houses to treat his injured people and Hammond was waiting for her all clear to go and visit. After he saw his team for himself, George was then looking forward to meeting the old Chief of the tribe to discuss how the SGC could assist them in beefing up their defenses to keep the Gould from making anymore incursion attempts on this world.

Two Spears said something to them and then pointed across the village common ground. Dr. Daniel Jackson was walking slowly towards them, trying his best not to limp. George stood up and crossed the intervening ground to meet the SG1 team member. "Dr. Jackson, It's good to see you again." He approached the young man and clasped his hand, looking the young man over carefully. "Are you all right, son?"

Daniel was genuinely happy to see General Hammond. "Yes, Sir. I'm fine, just a little sore from some unexpected horseback riding."

"Horses, Dr. Jackson?" The older man looked at him curiously. "I thought you had said that these people were Anasazi. They never had horses to the best of my recollection."

"That's very true, sir. I'll have to explain that later." Daniel smiled a little embarrassed. "Would you like to see Jack and Sam? I'll take you to them." General Hammond stood up anxiously.

"Is Dr. Fraiser through? Are they conscious?"

"Sam's still asleep. Painted Face, the tribe's Shaman or Medicine Man gave her something for her pain and Janet didn't want to give her any other drugs. Jack's in and out." He glanced back over to the medicine lodge. "But I'm sure Janet won't mind our checking on them."

"Well, I was waiting to see Grey Badger. But evidently he's resting after the battle." Hammond replied.

"I'm not surprised." Daniel replied. "He's well over seventy years old. I'm a bit surprised he was in the battle at all." He turned to Two Spears. "When will Grey Badger awaken?"

The War Chief shrugged his shoulders. "Crow Woman will tell us. But he was very tired after the battle. It took much of his heart to see so many men die today." He shook his head. "I told him to stay in the village, but I needed to go to the Buffalo Men. He would not be persuaded otherwise."

"Yes, I know men like that." He looked at his General who had come through the Stargate to see that his people were all right.

Two Spears followed his gaze and smiled. "So I see."

"I'm going to take him to see Grey Wolf and Mountain Lion Woman." Daniel told the Chief who nodded in understanding.

"I will come for you if Crow Woman calls."

"Thank you my friend." He turned to Hammond. "Two Spears will come and tell us when the Chief wakes up. I know you want to see Jack and Sam."

The two men walked back over to the Lodge. As they arrived, Dr. Fraiser came out looking for them.

"How are they doing Doctor? Teal'c said Colonel O'Neill was pretty bad off."

"He is Sir." She answered him. "The Colonel took a staff weapon blast to the back but he's a tough one."

Daniel glanced back at the door of the Medicine Lodge. "I thought he was dead when I first saw him." He shook his head. "He scared me good!"

Dr, Fraiser smiled at the young man "He's pretty badly injured, but the Medicine Man did all the right things. Once we get him stabilized and back to the base he should recover completely."

"And Major Carter?"

"She should be all right in a couple of weeks." She assured her senior officer. "She's got a fractured arm, some cuts and bruises and a bad bump on the head." She looked up at Hammond. "Would you like to see them? We're finished with their exams and Colonel O'Neill is awake." She pushed the blanket/door to the side and the General and Daniel entered the cool dark interior.

The two men entered. General Hammond glanced at Carter but she appeared to be deeply asleep. Then he looked went over to O'Neill's pallet. "Jack, it's good to see you." He waited until O'Neill turned his head and focused on him. "You've got to quit doing these things. It's too much stress on an old man."

O'Neill was groggy and he was trying follow what Hammond was saying but was having some trouble with it. "I'm not that old..."

Hammond smiled down at his second in command. "Not you, Jack. Me...You'll give me gray hair."

"George, I uh don't know how to break it to you...but, it's too late."

Hammond shook his head, "Figuratively speaking of course."

Jack looked up at Daniel. "Daniel?"

His best friend squatted down next to where he lay. "Yea, Jack?"

"The General make a joke?"

"Yea, Jack. It's okay." He patted him on the shoulder and looked up at Hammond.

The General knelt next to Daniel and laid his hand on O'Neill's hand on top of the blanket. "You just rest easy son. We'll get you back to the base and Dr. Fraiser will have you right as rain in a short time."

Jack nodded up at Hammond. "Okay-dokey George." General Hammond looked over at the Doctor. She just shrugged her shoulders."

The senior officer moved over to where Carter lay asleep and looked down at her. Janet joined him. "You say she's got a concussion and a fractured arm?"

"Yes General Hammond. She's actually in better shape that Colonel O'Neill. She's just really profoundly asleep." Fraiser pursed her lips. "I didn't want to give her anything on top of the herbal sedative that the tribal medicine man had already given her."

"Where is this 'medicine man'? I saw him briefly when I arrived but he seems to have made himself scarce."

Jackson came up behind them from Jack's bedside. "Actually General, he should be back here in a little while. He's got lots of other patients among his own people."

"Daniel," Janet said, looking up at him. "Please tell him I'd like to help. I've got three medics so anything we can do we'd be more than pleased to help."

"I'll go find him." Jackson nodded. "I'm sure he'll be glad for the assistance."

The three walked back to the fire circle. "Where're Painted Face and Two Spears?" Daniel asked one of the teenaged boys that were feeding the community fire.

"Painted Face is with the wounded over by the river." He was told. "Two Spears is gathering the big humps to take them back out to the prairie." As if on cue, there was a clattering outside the village proper and several shouts in the Indian language. "There he is now!" Jackson led the trio to the edge of the village lodges and they stood watching with awe as the huge herd of buffalo passed by. Two Spears was mounted on a grulla mare. Daniel could see Shefox mingled in with the herd of horses that were running with the herd. "Coyote, are you coming with us? I'm going to get the young men started. We've got to get the beasts back to their grasses and water."

Daniel looked at his Chief, then back to the horses. "No, I cannot go. My Chief, General Hammond needs me to talk to Grey Badger so that his words are true."

"It is good, Coyote. See that your words are wise and that they carry the truth with them so that our tribes can be as one." He put pressure on his horse with his legs and they galloped off, pushing the herd before them.

Daniel waved at him and called. "I will clan brother."

Next, after the buffalo herd, came the remuda of the multicolored Indian Ponies. As the horses went past, a red mare with white spots broke away and stopped several feet in front of Jackson and snorted at him as if in invitation. Daniel went up to her and gave her one of the cold corncakes from out of his fatigue jacket pocket. She nuzzled him as he spoke to her and stroked her finely shaped head. "Go on Shefox; go with your herd." She spun on her hocks, leaped forward, flagging her long red tail in the air and galloping to the front of the horse herd.

The elder man smiled at Jackson." A friend of yours, son?"

He turned back and smiled at the memory of that wild ride down the canyon. "Let's just say she took good care of me when I needed it."

"The good ones always do." General Hammond nodded and turned back to the log bench. For the next thirty minutes, they could see the braves pushing the huge herd of buffalo past the village and out towards the prairie where they belonged.

Painted Face came back to the campfire after a short while and Daniel told him of the Medicine Woman's offer. He immediately took Fraiser up her offer and the medical team went with him into the villages triage area.

Daniel had followed Hammond over and sat down gingerly on the log that was serving as a seat for the men. Two Spears wife came over and handed them both gourd cups of the sweet tea. Daniel thanked her and she replied to him. He had grinned back at her and indicated the log as being too hard. The attractive Indian woman laughed and went back to her lodge. General Hammond prompted Jackson back to an earlier conversation. "Now, what were you saying about the Anasazi, Dr. Jackson?"

He turned back to Hammond. "Well, yes General. That was my initial thoughts but since them I've had to revise my opinion quite a bit." He sipped some of the fragrant liquid. "My first impression was made when we first arrived, was that they were a peaceful, agricultural settlement. I've since learned that this village is not their permanent home." He stopped and indicated the structures that surrounded them. "I've found out that this is a base camp of sorts. You see every 14 moons a new clan of the tribe rotates into this camp to guard the Stargate or, God's Mouth as they call it and the tribe that is here moves back to the prairie where they resume their nomadic hunter/gatherer life style. While they are based here, their horses and a lot of their equipment stay behind on the prairie land just outside the canyon with a small group of herdsmen. Evidently when they left Earth, they brought their buffalo and their horses with them through the Stargate or maybe even by Goa'uld Mother ship." He stopped and took another sip of tea, "This village must have been the initial settlement after they were transplanted here by the Goa'uld. Once they rebelled and won their freedom they resumed their way of life that they had left back on home. That's why the pyramid at the end of the village has no meaning to them. It was built by the false gods for them to worship them in. Now they worship the Great Spirit, whom they believe came with them in the form of their animals."

"Well, who are these people then if they're not the Anasazi?" Hammond leaned forward and watched the young Archeologist's face as he spoke.

His expression told of the young archeologist's excitement. "Well, their name for themselves is the people or 'Ko-man-tsi'." Daniel looked up at the General and smiled. "Closest translation I can figure is Comanche."

"Then it's no wonder the Gould lost control of the situation here." Hammond remarked. "They were, or are, some of the greatest fighters the world has ever seen. They didn't know the meaning of the word surrender." He shook his head. "They were almost killed off as a race before they would surrender to a reservation."

Daniel nodded. "I can believe that, but they're really wonderful people. They accepted us almost right away. Their senior Chief, Grey Badger, liked Jack almost immediately."

"Probably recognized a kindred spirit." The General commented about his team leader. "How did they finally drive the Gould off?"

"Teal'c can answer that a lot better than myself. I was with the buffalo herd." He and the General greeted the warrior's return to the campfire.

He nodded and sat down with them. His minor injuries had received medical attention and he would postpone his healing meditation until they returned to the security of Cheyenne Mountain. He continued where Danieljackson had left off. "The tribe had made extensive preparation for the invasion. They had stockpiled a large amount of their traditional weaponry on the canyon walls. Large stones, bags of flammable crude oil, flint headed spears and bow and arrows. We had also put our firepower of rifles, pistols, zat guns and staff weapons with them. When the attack commenced and these weapons were used up, O'Neill proceeded to show the Indians how to take the weapons of the fallen Jaffa and turn them on their enemies. Once they learned how to operate them, the Indians used them to great advantage."

He paused for a moment as Two Spears wife, Golden Feather, came to the fire circle and offered them more tea to drink. Teal'c continued with his report. "We three had divided to spread our firepower throughout the Indian army. Colonel O'Neill stayed with the adult warriors. Major Carter was with the younger warriors. They were farther down the canyon protecting the passage into the village. I had aligned myself with the older men who had been throwing down the boulders. O'Neill's group and then my own descended onto the canyon floor to retrieve the Goa'uld weapons. Then, the buffalo herd was stampeded into the battle effectively ending the hostilities. That is when O'Neill injured. That was also when we noted Major Carter's absence. Danieljackson and I decided to separate and I went back to get O'Neill medical assistance. He remained here to care for O'Neill and search for Majorcarter."

Daniel picked up the tale. "When we got Jack back to the village and Sam and her young men hadn't shown up yet Painted Face had a runner to go to the village and send out a search party for her. I stayed here to help with Jack. Of course by the time we got him back to the village, the best hunters had left to search and within an hour or so, they had found her and the group of young warriors. They were bringing her back to the camp where she received medical treatment." Daniel looked over his shoulder at the lodge where the SG1 teammates lay. "Speaking of which, I'm going to check on them." Hammond nodded to him and the younger man walked, slower than usual, up the hill. General Hammond and Teal'c nodded and continued their conversation about the results of the battle and Teal'c's recommendations for assisting the Indians in the future

Jackson entered the medicine lodge. O'Neill was having a conversation of sorts with Carter. She was awake and wanting news. Jack was trying to make sense for her through the sedatives that Fraiser had given him. "Well, it looks like you're both feeling better." He slowly eased himself down onto the dirt floor between them.

"Where's everybody?" Carter asked from her pallet.

"Well, Janet brought some extra medics to assist with the village's wounded. She's over getting them started. I'm sure she'll be back soon." He looked over at Jack. "You know she wouldn't neglect her favorite patients. The General and Teal'c are at the fire circle."

"So that was General Hammond who was in here." Jack asked in a puzzled voice. "I was pretty out of it when he came in. Did I say anything stupid?"

"Yes it was and no, you didn't. He came back with Teal'c to see how you were doing and to talk to Grey Badger." Daniel shook his head. "But Grey Badger is resting. Two Spears sent him back to the village right after we got there. It really took a lot out of the old man and the chief was worried about him. Then we found you injured and Sam missing." He looked over at her. "Do you remember anything?"

"Just the whole canyon wall came down on me; I lost consciousness right about then." She replied.

"Well, the young men were bringing you home when the search party found you." He reached over and patted her good arm. "You got them all through it, Sam. Not a boy, er, young warrior was killed or seriously hurt, and they're giving you all the credit."

She smiled to herself. "They were good. Did everything I told them to do."

"And believe me the tribe is grateful to you to for it. They took some pretty heavy hits in the main battle. Then Jack rewrote their battle plan and started showing them Goa'uld weapons could be fired by Indian warriors."

Jack grinned up at him. "And Danny brought the Calvary. The Duke would have been proud. I sure was. That's when I needed the video."

"I saw him; them go by before the world fell on me." Sam spoke up. "Daniel, you're a man of many unexpected talents."

"Well, when you can't afford a jeep on a dig in Egypt, you can get a horse or a camel a lot cheaper." He rubbed his lower back. "But I hadn't had to ride bareback in...since I was a kid anyway."

They were interrupted by a little girl's voice outside the lodge calling for Painted Face. Daniel rose and went to speak to her. "What's wrong, little one?" He recognized Painted Face's eldest Daughter, the eight-year-old.

"Elk Cow has sent me to find Painted Face. Moon Woman had come to her time and is having much pain. Where is my father?"

"He is with the injured warriors. Do you know where the place is?" Daniel replied. He was surprised at this development. He knew that normally men didn't attend the birth of children. She must be having a lot of difficulty. At the little girl's nod he continued. "Where are they now?"

"They are at Moon Woman's lodge. She wanted to go out of the village but Grey Badger forbade it."

"Wait here, I will go with you to the lodge then you can go and get Painted Face."

Daniel went back into the Hogan. "Jack, I'm going to help Moon Woman. She is having a difficult birth. If Painted Face or Janet show up send them to her lodge there by Grey Badger's. Okay."

Jack nodded as Daniel raided the pack that Janet had brought with her. He took some surgical gloves, and other things he thought might be useful. He flashed them a nervous grin and took off out the door.

Sam just shook her head in amazement as they watched the young man leave.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Like you said Carter, a man of many unexpected talents."

When Daniel entered the lodge, Elk Cow, Painted Face's wife, greeted him nervously. She knew her husband had told her this man was a powerful Shaman but she didn't know him. However when Daniel stepped in to help he appeared to know what he was doing.

Daniel's mind was racing. The last time he had done this was when Sha'uri had given birth to Apophis' child. It had been a normal birth; this one obviously was not. The women normally went out into the surrounding countryside and gave birth by themselves with no assistance at all. But this was the first baby for her, so it just might be taking its time getting here. He started a gentle exam but the baby didn't feel like it was in a normal position. A breech birth was not something he had dealt with before although he had watched one on Abydos when the midwife was teaching her skills to him in his hopes to deliver his own children with his wife, a dream that never happened. But here he was and he'd do his best for the kind young woman. Luckily she was a big girl and was well dilated so that he could actually reach and manipulate the baby without any surgical intervention. It took him what seemed like a long time but finally he was able to find a foot and straighten it out into the canal. Another few minutes and he located the other one. He started a slow gently tug on the baby and instructed her to try to push again. Elk Cow was at her friend's shoulders and was supporting her head, also encouraging her in her efforts.

Once he got the baby in a better position, things went a little smoother. It was a breech birth but it continued in a timely fashion and within the hour he was holding a healthy looking baby boy. He showed it to the mother and her able assistant then laid it on Buffalo Woman's belly and stood back to view his handiwork.

"Well, that went pretty well." Janet Fraser's voice startled him from his reverie.

He turned to look at her and saw both Painted Face and the Doctor standing in the doorway. "Daniel, you're amazing. If you ever get tired of finding artifacts and getting shot at, you can work with me anytime." She came over to his side and hugged him.

Painted Face was staring amazedly at him then the baby. "What did you do, Coyote? I have never seen such a thing before."

Daniel shrugged. "Nothing really, the baby was turned so that its feet were first instead of his head. I just got him in the right position and pulled. They did the rest themselves." He turned and looked fondly at mother and child. Elk Cow was taking over cleaning the baby with warm water and cutting the cord. He looked at his friend questioningly. "Why, what would you have done?"

"All I know, Coyote, is to ease the mother's pain. If the birth could not happen, she and the child would die." He shook his head. "Your medicine is very powerful indeed."

"Well, my brother, I think we can teach you this medicine so that need not happen so often."

The Shaman nodded is head, still amazed at what he had witnessed. "You speak truly. This is as powerful as your fighting skills, but much happier. I think that Grey Badger and your Chief will have much good to talk about."

They returned to the fire circle, leaving mother and child in the capable hands of Elk Cow. Grey Badger was awake and sitting on the log next to Hammond and Teal'c. When they saw the three Shamen approaching, the old chief got to his feet. "How is Buffalo Woman? Is it well with her?'

Painted Face nodded to his Chief. "Great Chief, Wise Coyote is indeed well named. When I heard of the difficulty of your second wife, I feared for her and the child. But I arrived to see our brother holding the babe, a boy child, in his hands. He is a great Medicine Man and Doc'tor Fraiser spoke to me and told me of the magic. She too is a powerful healer. We should hold them in honor forever for their great gifts to the tribe on this day."

The Old Chief nodded. "It is good." He looked at Daniel. "Thank you, Wise Coyote, for you great magic. There will be much feasting in the camp tonight for your great journey with the big humps to the God's Mouth and for the joy you bring to an old man's eyes." He looked at Teal'c. "Great Bear is shy of his gifts, though he has done well. But we must say the good words; your Chief and I so I ask one more thing of you though you have labored hard for my tribe today."

"I am honored by your trust." Daniel replied and sat down next to the General to finish the interpretation for the two Chiefs of two Nations.

Later that evening, after the peace pipe had been passed around to the three Chiefs and the three Shamen and much 'good talk' had been accomplished. The SGC teams prepared to return through the God's Mouth to their homeland. Doctor Fraiser wanted to get O'Neill and Carter back to more sterile conditions where their treatment could be continued. And of course, General Hammond needed to return to his tribe. But plans had already been made for a return trip by both SG1 and Fraiser's Medical Team to further assist, teach and learn from Painted Face. Janet was thrilled to have a true practitioner of Herbal and Holistic medicine to learn from and of course to teach him some of the more modern treatments.

As they loaded O'Neill and Carter on the blanket stretchers, Carter was insisting that she could walk out and Jack was complaining about missing the feast he could smell cooking. Two Spears assured him that when he returned that he would take Chief Grey Wolf, Wise Coyote and Great Bear on a Buffalo hunt and they would feast for a week. That mollified the Colonel somewhat and when Janet gave him a light sedative to travel he relaxed into a doze. Then Janet told Sam that she was acting like a certain Colonel that they both knew well, the young woman quieted down and suffered the experience of being carried bodily by four young, strong Indian braves who were grateful for her part in the Great Battle and smiled down at her a lot.

Led by General Hammond, Teal'c and Daniel Jackson the small party left the village by foot on their journey to the God's Mouth in the Comanche's Canyon of the Winds. Grey Badger, Two Spears, Painted Face and the rest of the tribe that had befriended them watched from the walls of the Canyon as they traveled out of sight. They knew that the Great Medicine of Chief Grey Wolf, Wise Coyote, Great Bear and Mountain Lion Woman would ultimately change their lives, but for the better to keep them safe from the False Gods. And in return, Colonel Jack O'Neill, Doctor Daniel Jackson, Major Samantha Carter and the Warrior Teal'c knew that they had not only found friends but clansmen who would continue to enrich their lives every time they chose to return to the Spirit Trail of the Comanche.

"Hey Carter."

"Yes, sir?"

"Did you get those pictures that I asked you too?"

"Yes, sir. They should be worth some credit in the Medical Section's betting pool."

"Good, I'm down money on the last two hockey games."

"Jack what pictures are those?"

"Don't worry about it Danny."

"O'Neill, are those pictures the ones I saw Majorcarter taking of Danieljackson when he was attired in the loincloth."

"Jack!"

"Daniel."

"Sam!"

"Don't worry about it, Danny."

"I got some good ones, sir."

"Sam?"

"Don't worry, Daniel. I got your good side."

"Arrrghh!"

THE END