Stargate SG-1 & Atlantis - Far Horizons Read Online Free

life.
    O’Neill was already floating a few inches offshore, testing the propelling device he’d called a paddle. Daniel Jackson and Major Carter had taken one look at these craft and declared they would spend the day walking in the woods. He could see their pale uniforms etched against the dark trees and ruthlessly quelled the urge to join them.
    Entering the vessel was not the most dignified moment of his life.
    Teal’c glared at the water sloshing over his legs, which were tucked underneath his body and uncomfortably soaked. He dug the paddle into the water, aiming to follow O’Neill and show his leader that his guffaws — an apt word he had learned from Daniel Jackson — were neither appropriate, nor required.
    Oddly, the more he applied the paddle, the more the craft veered around in a circle.
    “Teal’c, may I show you?” Jante powered his vessel alongside with admirable dexterity. “One stroke this side, one stroke the other. That will move you in a straight line.”
    Teal’c complied, and his course immediately straightened. Confidence filled him and he floated quickly across the water, gaining on O’Neill whose wandering course had taken him halfway across the bay.
    “Hey, there he is! Way to go, T. Knew you’d get the hang of it.”
    “Once one knows the mechanics of the steerage implement it is easy to master.”
    “Told you.”
    O’Neill gave his paddle a flick and increased his pace. Teal’c swiftly overtook him. They raced over the brightly colored water, the local women and men surrounded them, engaged in their own private races. The discomfort of wet clothing and potential embarrassment faded. He found that the physical effort, mastery of a new skill and the challenge of overtaking O’Neill, combined with the warmth of the sun and the splash of water, did indeed combine to produce enjoyment. He would not, however, mention this to O’Neill.
    They spent a couple of hours paddling across the calm waters of the bay, even halting to partake of refreshments some of their companions had stowed in their craft.
    “Do you feel skilled enough to challenge the devil’s gap?” Jante asked them.
    “And what would that be?” O’Neill’s caution was disguised by the smile he liked to consider polite.
    Jante pointed to a high cliff at the end of the bay closest to them. Thickly covered with vegetation, it dropped abruptly to the green water, then rose again in a series of steep rock outcrops that jutted out into the deep ocean.
    “When the moons join, the tide pulls the water through the devil’s gap with great force. It is most exhilarating to ride through.”
    Teal’c felt a stir of unease, or perhaps it was his symbiote.
    “How fast would you say that water goes?” O’Neill’s eyes sparkled with interest.
    “Faster than the great mountain birds can fly when hunting.”
    “Pretty fast, then. Teal’c, what do you say?”
    O’Neill was eager for this challenge. Teal’c could understand his companion’s wish to test himself against a foe that was not actively seeking to kill him or his team mates, particularly after the three months confined to the SGC in the time loop. Golf lessons aside, Teal’c had also found the confinement hard to endure.
    “I believe this would be a suitable test of my new ability to traverse over water.”
    “Let’s do it!”
    The locals cheered with approval and moved with much splashing toward the rocky gap. As they neared, he could see the water rushing through the opening with great speed. Swirls and eddies marked the surface which was otherwise unbroken. Rocky sides of the cliffs were smoothed by centuries of tidal action.
    “How deep is it?” O’Neill called across.
    “The bottom has never been seen, even in the lowest tide,” said Ellene. “We believe its depth is great.”
    O’Neill held his craft steady, a not inconsiderable effort as Teal’c too felt the water pulling them toward the gap with increasing strength.
    “Allow us to