by Donna and Abs

After ordering Patrick Harper - who Sharpe swore was good with horses - off to help Sam Grey and Charity Collins in their business of rounding up prospective mounts for the fort, Jack O'Neill went out of his office to see what the new day was like. There was a nice view of the river, and as he walked along the top of the wooded fort walls, he happened upon Connor MacLeod, taking it all in.

"Is that a boat out there?" the Highlander asked, pointing off into the distance. "If it is water worthy, it might come in handy to ferry stuff up and down the river to town on."

"Sharpe and his men went to look at it. It's nothing but a wooden hull, and even that has holes. It might be fixed up, but it's a lot of work, and right now we don't have the manpower, or the know-how." O'Neill shrugged. "Most of the men we are getting are land-based."

Connor chuckled. "I have the know-how. I've spent a couple of centuries sailing the seas, in fact. I'm not doing anything useful just standing around, so I might as well go check it out to see if it is salvageable."

"We do have a mill down there," O'Neill pointed to a building. "There are trees everywhere but it seems to me the ones around here are a bit small. Up there," he pointed into the distance, "the lumber looks better. What we need is for someone to cut wood there, and float it down here. Then, if we could man the mill, we could repair the boat."

"Sounds doable," he said with a chuckle. "Think I'll take a hike down there then. Got anyone sitting around on his duff? I could take a few tools and stuff with me then. I was poking around in the supply rooms, and a found several bales of canvas material buried in the back. I could use them for sails, possible."

"I sent Pat Harper off to help with the horse problem," said the Colonel. "Dr Jackson isn't very physical, though he does come in handy if you need an ancient language translated. I could send Daniel Hagman - a good shot and excellent protection - and Patrick Garvey. They can both sing like songbirds, so you won't be bored." O'Neill grinned. The message was clear. They didn't have many resources there yet. But every man they did have was a character.

A short time later, the three men arrived at where the boat was half hidden in a small grove of trees. Where as the others had just seen a half finished piece of junk, Captain Connor MacLeod saw the potential for a ship of beauty and grace, that could glide over the water, taking him out to explore this new world. Running his hand over the wooden sides of the hull, he took it in, already mentally calculating what he would need to get her into service. It would take a lot of work and a fair amount of time with the limited help available, but it was indeed, doable!