Uncle Paul´s Cain 04 Page

By Paul Cummings

Family Holiday 22/11/99

The dark metallic green Toyota Land Cruiser Colorado 4x4 pulled up at the entrance to the VIP car park at Heathrow Airport. The driver was young, average size with black hair. His eyes seemed to have a slight slant to them, as if he had some oriental blood. Brian Smith, the gateman for the car park didn’t recognise the driver, but he often didn’t, so that didn’t mean that he didn’t belong. But the driver was dressed in an olive green army-style jumper and camouflage trousers. Not the usual wear for VIPs, unless they were famous rock stars or something. Smith waited until the driver wound down his window.

"Good morning sir, can I help you?" he asked the driver politely, although the driver was probably in the wrong place, you never knew.

"Good morning," the driver replied pleasantly, "I’d like to park here for a couple of weeks and would like a car to take me to the departure lounge." He handed the gateman some papers and a passport. Smith quickly checked the papers and passport. Smith handed the papers back.

"Please park over on the left sir, then return here, I’ll arrange transport for you." Japanese imperial princes most certainly counted as VIPs, and he had the appropriate tickets too.

Cain parked the Land Cruiser where he was instructed. He opened the rear door and pulled out his bergen. Sometimes, using his Japanese passport was useful. As well as that, he had three others, two British and one Norwegian: One British passport in his family name and one in the name of Benjamin Cain, which was how he had been known since he moved to Britain fourteen years before. After all, Benjamin Matthew St John Hampshire was a bit cumbersome. Besides, when he’d arrived to study at Cambridge University, he’d wanted to study in his own right, not be assisted or otherwise by the Hampshire name, much though his great grandfather, the current Duke of Hampshire had disapproved. The same logic had applied when he joined the 21^st SAS territorial army regiment when starting university. Normally you couldn’t join the SAS TA regiments without having been in the full time army, but under invitation, you were allowed to join Selection, although with no further guarantee of passing. His family were well connected, so the invitation was made. Three years after graduating he’d been promoted to Captain and applied to join the full time 22^nd Special Air Service regiment. The Hampshire name would have been bad enough to most of the people who knew him as Major Ben Cain, but to find out his mother was Emperor Akihito’s cousin would have been something else again. Finally, his Norwegian passport was in his paternal grandmother’s maiden name. Although he had spoken English and Japanese all his life, his Norwegian was not quite native standard. He was fluent, but would not fool a Norwegian or probably any other Scandinavian. Still it was a useful "neutral" passport at times; nobody had any problems with the Norwegians. They were just a simple, happy people who liked to drink. Cain’s black hair and the fact that he was only five feet eleven counted against him being Norwegian, but he usually claimed his mother was Chinese to explain the oriental influence.

It could be thought that Cain’s heritage was unique, except for the fact that he had four brothers and a sister. He was on route to the first meeting with his siblings for some time. With Ando and Yukio still living in Japan they were not able to meet up with the others. James, Chas and William lived in London whilst Cain lived in Hereford, when he was not away on business.

The shuttle to Terminal 4 was quick. Cain got out and walked into the VIP lounge, where he was greeted by name, in reasonable Japanese, by a young lady. She took his bergen to check it in, her training shining through as she did not even hesitate at the difference from the usual VIP with expensive hand-made designer luggage. It was three hours before the flight was due, so Cain’s brothers had not yet arrived, as they lived so much nearer to the airport, they did not have to leave so much time for on-route emergencies. Besides which, Cain quite liked the atmosphere of airports. Cain asked about his brothers and was told that they were expected, but no message had been left for him. Cain noticed that the young lady’s Japanese was getting rapidly worse as she got outside the range of her limited studies. Cain decided to offer her a way out, preserving her face.

"Your Japanese is excellent, but we can speak English if you wish." Her face showed her surprise, obviously she had not been told he was half-English.

"Thank you, Your Highness, I am studying hard, but Japanese is difficult for me." Cain smiled; her manners were excellent. Perhaps he had misjudged her; her grasp of Japanese etiquette was good, even if her grasp of the language was limited. Cain dismissed the idea of asking her to call him Ben; that would only confuse matters. He knew how difficult it was for people to deal with royalty, even such a minor, foreign branch as he belonged to. If he started to change the way they expected to behave it would cause them difficulties, so Cain left their relationship strictly formal.

"I would like to look around the airport, there are some gifts I would like to buy."

"If you would wait one minute, I will get a plain clothes policeman to accompany you." She was obviously slightly concerned at having VIPs wandering around the airport.

"That will not be necessary, although you might like to accompany me yourself, if that is permissible." She quickly agreed to this compromise and informed her superior.

Whilst they walked around, Cain asked her about herself. She was called Janet Woodman. She was twenty-eight years old and had worked for the airport for seven years, since she left university with a degree in French and Spanish. After buying a few small items, Cain invited her for a coffee. She had relaxed a little by now and accepted. Finishing their cappuccinos, Cain allowed himself to be led back to the VIP lounge. When they arrived, they could see two new VIPs present.

Both were tall; one was perhaps six foot four and heavily built the other was a few inches shorter and slightly lighter build. They broke out in big smiles when they saw Cain. They shared a warm greeting then Cain introduced them to his chaperone.

"Janet, these are my brothers: James and William." She looked surprised. Reading her correctly, he explained. "Our father is English, who these two brutes take after, and our mother is Japanese." Janet Woodman was now confused. She couldn’t imagine three brothers less alike: One was average height with black hair and handsome, slightly Asian features, one was tall with dark hair, and obviously knew he was very attractive, the third was enormous although offset with smooth, almost delicate features except for a nose that had obviously been broken. However, she could see some family resemblance there. Checking their tickets, she learnt that James Hampshire and William Hampshire were also on Cain’s flight to Denver.

Cain and his brothers sat down with a drink whilst a thoroughly confused Janet Woodman went back to her station. She wasn’t trained to deal with foreign princes who looked and sounded more English than she did. They were so relaxed about everything too. Cain had not made any demands on her, and she was expecting the same from his brothers. If only all the VIPs in the lounge behaved the same.

The time to board the flight came, Chas had still not arrived. This was not really unexpected, but it hit Cain hard. How many identical twin brothers did a man have? Charles had always been the bad boy of the family. Cain knew the business his brother was in. He knew the harm caused by those evil powders. When they were young, Cain and his brother were very close, but then gradually Cain’s dedication to his studies and to the martial arts took him beyond his brother. In time that had caused some problems. James and William had accepted that they would never be as proficient martial artists as their brother, they had accepted it and gone on to excel in their own fields. James was an important merchant banker in the city whilst William was a very skilled lawyer, not to mention a rugby player of note. Ando, the youngest of the five boys, was seven years younger than Cain. He had sought to match him in the martial arts. In truth, they were very, very close. Ando was perhaps a slightly purer technician, but Cain’s skills drifted towards a more practical vein as he got older. Yukio, being the youngest and only girl, was much beloved by her brothers, but she was a very skilled martial artist too. Being a smaller build, she had concentrated more on aikido and ninjutsu than some of the other arts Ando, and especially Cain, had studied. Like Cain and Ando, and unlike James, Charles and William, she was a ninja, with all the deadly skills that implied. That was often difficult for others to appreciate upon meeting the slim, demure and very beautiful Yukio Hampshire.

Finally, as they sat in their seats onboard the British Airways flight to Denver, James turned to Cain and asked the question that Cain had expected since they’d met up.

"Well, Benj, was she any good?" Cain looked at his brother and shook his head.

"James, sometimes you can be a really unpleasant brother."

"I know. Now answer the question."

"You know he won’t do that, so why bother?" interrupted William

"Because I’m a banker, that’s why. I have a nice safe life, so I like to be daring once in a while," answered James with a big smile.

"Oh, we’ll be doing that soon enough," retorted William with another big smile.

"Pity Chas couldn’t make it," added Cain solemnly.

"He’s a disgrace Benj, why won’t you accept that?" asked James angrily.

"He’s still our brother, James," answered William softly. Which was true, for all of Charles’s troubles, he was still a Hampshire; still their brother. The sanctity of family was very strong in them all. Both their mother and father were strong supporters of the family. Partly because both were from very old families: Yamamoto was a very old, proud family name whilst the first Duke of Hampshire had been created in the fifteenth century. That was just the male branches of both families. In almost every branch of their family there was a very old name.

The seven-hour hop to New York went quickly. Cain had not seen his brothers for some time, so they had lots to catch up on. Cain was better informed about news within their family, being so far from everyone he felt the duty to keep in touch more strongly than some others. After they had gone through family news, there was the holiday to speculate on. That took them the whole of the hop from New York to Denver. James did, however, find time to flirt outrageously with the stewardesses. Much to his surprise and disappointment, they all turned down his invitations for later. However, James was so sure of his skill at seduction that he looked at that as more time to spend with American women.

Eventually, eleven hours after they left London they arrived at Denver International Airport. Due to the time difference it was only four in the afternoon, not the eleven their bodies were feeling. Before clearing customs, they checked on the arrival of Ando and Yukio’s flight from Tokyo. They were due in at six, having caught the Tokyo evening flight to Denver via Los Angeles. Collecting their bags, they walked through customs and were met by a their courier, a big, brash Texan, complete with cowboy boots and a Stetson.

After a chat and a couple of drinks at the bar, Cain realised that although big and showy, John Chisholm was a good choice. He appeared to have prepared well for his job, which was to take them and a raft to the Colorado River at Grand Junction, then drive down to the Grand Canyon, where he was to meet them at the end of their rafting to take them to the airport. He had a huge Chevrolet Suburban ready with all the supplies they would need, including all the necessary permits for their journey down river and the overnight stops.

JAL423 touched down right on time and taxied to a stop. Being in first class, Ando and Yukio Hampshire were amongst the first off the plane. Like their brothers, they were dressed casually and carried rucksacks. Both favoured their mother rather than their father, so much so that they could have passed for pure Japanese, although both were above average height for Japanese. Both walked quickly, keen to meet up with their brothers.

Passing through customs, they saw James, Cain and William waiting for them. They all hugged and shared a family greeting. John Chisholm didn’t think about how different they all looked to be siblings, he was too busy trying to work out how they’d been sitting in the bar when Ben had announced that they were here and got up, just before they came through the door. He hadn’t noticed that James and William had not queried this, but just stood and walked to the entrance. Still, they seemed a nice bunch, and were certainly paying well for his attention for a fortnight. He was going to make sure that they had a holiday to remember. Good business that was; not too many of his customers were non-Americans, and these people would have friends in Japan and England who may also like to experience rafting down the Colorado. From their reservations, he knew they were all experienced white water rafters, which meant that they could get the permits they needed and only a single guide was needed.

By seven, they were loaded into the big Chevy and heading west along the I-70. Just after the town of Eagle, they reached the Colorado River and snaked down to Grand Junction crossing the river several times. Chisholm took them to the bunkhouse he had reserved for them. It was a small wooden building with a large wooden porch outside. Inside were six bunk beds. Chisholm realised the problem: He’d been expecting six brothers. Nobody had told him that one of them was a girl. Not just that, but she was a petite little Japanese girl, not the sort he would expect to share with four men, even if they were her brothers.

"Er, mam, would you prefer to have a room to yourself" he asked Yukio half looking at the others for help as he couldn’t remember Yukio speaking in English on the drive. She’d spoken to Ando and Ben in Japanese. Yukio turned to him and smiled, making him realise just how delicate and beautiful she was.

"That’s quite all right Mr Chisholm, I’d rather stay with my brothers; we get so little time together that we have much to talk about. Besides, after tonight we’ll be all camping together anyway, so I might as well get used to their snoring." Her voice was light and musical, as he expected, but the accent was clearly English rather than Japanese, quite at odds with her delicate oriental features. The others were obviously amused by Chisholm’s surprise.

After the flights and the time differences they’d all been through, they decided not to accept Chisholm’s offer to join him and his wife for a drink before bed. They were all tired and wanted an early start.

The morning was bright and sunny, although fresh due to the altitude; Grand Junction being at an altitude of around 1400 metres. Cain slipped out of bed just after six. He moved silently so that he didn’t disturb the others, picked up a bundle of clothes, opened the door and walked out onto the porch. Once outside, Cain could feel the chill in the air. He looked at the thermometer on the wall. It read 59°F. A quick calculation told Cain that translated to a bit nippy standing there in his tee-shirt and shorts. He dressed in the clothes he had brought out with him then sat watching the world.

The view was ruggedly beautiful. Except for the six bunkhouses the view was of uninterrupted high desert. Cain sat quietly on the porch and relaxed, letting his senses fully appreciate the setting. After some time Cain saw an early morning jogger approaching. Even from a distance Cain could see that she was slim and moved lightly over the ground. As she approached it became clear that she was very attractive with long bond hair tied back behind her. She slowed to a walk as she passed the bunkhouse, taking a long look at Cain.

"Good morning," he said politely rising from his seat. She looked impressed with his polite manners.

"Hi, yous up early. Y’all just arrived?" She had a light musical southern accent.

"Yes, just last night."

"Y’re English right?"

"Yes, I am." Cain noticed that she was young, around twenty or twenty-one.

"My name’s Sally Ann, what’s yours?" Before he had time to say anything, the door to the bunkhouse opened and Yukio slipped out. She was wearing Cain’s army jumper, which on her small frame hung down to the middle of her bare thighs. Her long black hair hung down, framing her beautiful face.

"Good Morning Benji, I woke up and found you’d got out of bed," She put a light Japanese accent to her English. She turned to Sally Ann. "Hello, I didn’t know we had visitors. My name is Yukio Hampshire."

Sally Ann had the dignity to say good bye before she continued with her jog. Cain looked over at his sister.

"Yukio-chan, that was cruel." Yukio smiled and winked at him.

"Benji-chan, she was too young for you. Besides which, we haven’t got time for that now. We’ve got to get to the water."

By the time they’d all washed, dressed and breakfasted, on a mountain of ham and biscuits followed by pancakes swimming in maple syrup, it was after eight and the temperature had already to 67°F, which Ando instantly translated to 19°C for them. As quick as their stomachs would allow them to move, they packed their overnight gear back into the Chevy and were soon on the road. John Chisholm’s son, Pete, would be travelling with them as their guide. He didn’t have his father’s taste for cowboy boots and a Stetson, preferring trainers and a Denver Broncos cap, but otherwise he was just like his father. At nineteen he was already an inch or so taller than his father at six foot four and had a broad frame which would soon fill out to be as big.

John Chisholm took them to a spot by the river where he could get the Chevy almost to the water’s edge. Once they’d unloaded the raft and loaded it with their supplies, they changed into shorts, tee shirts, life vests and a mountain of sun block ready for the heat of the day. After a thorough introduction to their kit and the rules of the water, followed by a brief goodbye with their host, the six of them took the raft out into the river.

The rocky high desert provided some stunning scenery, which they were able to view during their gentle morning’s run. The sun and the temperature rose steadily. By one p.m. it was 28°C and rising. After four hours in the boat everyone was feeling tired, so they pulled in on a partly shaded sandy mini beach. Pete Chisholm was very impressed. They had gone very quickly with everyone working hard, yet none of his guests were sweating much. They lifted the raft up onto the sand and under William’s direction began the preparations for lunch.

Soon they were relaxing with mugs of tea that Ando had made. Surprisingly, to Pete Chisholm, the others all congratulated William on the meal. When he asked about this, James explained that every year they tried to meet up for a holiday that one of them was responsible for arranging and hosting. This year it was William’s turn to organise. Pete pointed out that William, by his own admission had not been rafting as much as the others, so would perhaps have trouble leading them through some of the more difficult rapids.

"Don’t you worry about that young man, if things get dangerous, Benj will take over and we’ll all follow his orders. He’s done a lot of water work before and he’ll sort out any problems." Pete had to admit that Ben obviously did know what he was doing on the raft, even more so than the others, who were good rafters too. But why should Ben be in charge? He was not the oldest, nor the biggest, nor the loudest? James interrupted his thought by calling to his brother. "Benj, how about a story? What have you been up to that you can tell us about?" Pete noticed that the others all looked towards Ben with interest.

"Sorry, James, but life’s been quite quiet recently. Oh, I did come home a while back and find three burglars at work". The others smiled broadly whilst William’s big mouth opened with a loud laugh. Pete didn’t see what was funny in finding three burglars in your house.

"Were they armed?" asked Ando.

"I don’t think so. I never got the chance to ask them." Must have sensibly kept away thought Pete, confused further by the loud laughter from them all. William saw his confusion and explained.

"Those burglars were very, very stupid. It’s not a rational act for three unarmed men to try to burgle Benjamin Hampshire’s home."

"Why?" asked Pete, looking at a very ordinary averaged size man.

"Because Benj gets a little upset at times like that. And when Benj gets upset, people get hurt. Very badly hurt." James and Ando nodded their agreement, or perhaps their approval.

"Anyway, what happened?" asked James.

"Well the ambulances took them away, but I’ve got to pay for the new sitting room window one of them broke falling through and I had to spend three hours cleaning the blood off the walls and floor."

"The sitting room is upstairs in Benji’s house, what you Americans would call the second floor" James explained. "I bet that hurt when he hit the ground."

"Wait a minute," interrupted Ando, "how exactly did it happen?" Cain was dragged into giving a full blow by blow account of the action. Pete was shocked that even Yukio seemed to hang onto every word and question every move. Soon he too was swept along and began to understand. William and James seemed to enjoy the story and want it to flow whilst Ando and Yukio insisted on breaking down every action in it.

Whilst the others were packing up ready for the afternoon’s experience, William explained some family history.

"Pete, you have to understand that the Japanese martial arts are very strong in our family. We all started training when we were very young. James and I are were never that good and are mostly retired now, but Benj, Ando and Yukio were always very good and are still very heavily involved. I wouldn’t pick a fight with any of them, most especially Benj." Pete saw the sincerity in the big man’s words and decided that he would be very courteous to all of them, even more that his normal level to guests. "Don’t worry about it. I guarantee that you are perfectly safe with us. None of us would ever start trouble. Our mother and grandfather would never forgive that. Family tradition as I said." Pete still looked a little apprehensive. "You’ve seen Benj. He’s probably the most polite and gentle man you’ll ever meet."

The preparations for the afternoons run into Westwater Canyon took up Pete’s remaining time. These would be the first of the proper rapids they had encountered including ten that would be either class three or class four, depending on the river flow. Confused and wondering just what it was he had got in to, Pete Chisholm was glad to get back on the water, despite the heat of the sun. Not long after they had set off they went past the Westwater Ranger Station and into the seventeen miles of Westwater Canyon.

A couple of miles further on, Westwater Creek joined the Colorado from the right. Just after that, the walls closed in to signify the real entry into the canyon. Soon after that there appeared an old gold miner’s cabin on the left bank. William was fascinated by this and, as the water was still fairly calm, managed to drain Pete of information about it.

Then came the Little Dolores rapid, their first class three rapid. Everyone was excited but calm as they entered. The Little Dolores River entered from the left. The rapid is actually formed from rocks washed out from the creek. The river flow was only marginally below its June peak, so they moved swiftly through the white water. On one side, William, Yukio and Ben sat, balanced by James, Ando and Pete on the other. The raft shot up and bounced down, causing William to shout out. Between them, James, Ben and Pete steered the others through the rapid and over to the Hades Bar campsite just beyond them.

Naturally everyone was excited about completing their first rapid, but after a tiring day, nobody objected when William informed them that they were spending the night at the campsite. Quickly they unloaded the raft, before William sprung a little surprise on them and took them on a short hike to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. They were not the only people at the swimming hole, but it was big enough not to feel crowded. Quickly they stripped down to their swimsuits and were soon all diving and splashing about in the pool. The swimming hole was the perfect end to their day’s exercise, so that by the time they had dressed and got back to the campsite they were relaxed again and ravenously hungry.

At the campsite, Pete had sorted things out and had a barbecue heating up. He had had some time to think and had come to the conclusion that the others were playing some sort of joke at his expense. The making up of Ben to be some sort of superman was probably chosen as he was due to share a tent with Ben. He’d have to play along, but be prepared for any new jokes that they were going to try and have at his expense. Still, they were all very polite guests, so he could not really complain. That was probably what had lulled him into falling for their joke. And, of course, someone like Yukio could not have been interested in the violence they had discussed at lunch. Unfortunately she had been part of the joke. Pete would have been delighted if she had not joined in. Anyway, he had a job to do, so he kept a look out for his guests. Once he saw the Hampshires returning he put some big steaks on the barbecue, knowing how hungry they would be.

The beers had been cooled in the river, so that as the heat of the day started to drop off, they were able to dine on steaks with cold beer. After a couple of beers, the conversation picked up, as they discussed the day’s exploits. Soon, however, tiredness overcame them and they retired to bed. Their beds were set up in three two-man tents.

The next day was chilly to start, especially in the steep sided canyon. Pete awoke early to prepare breakfast, but found that Ben was already out of the tent. He checked his watch, dreading having overslept, but found that it was only six thirty. He crawled out of his sleeping bag and quickly dressed. Outside he saw Ben sitting about a hundred yards away off facing out over the water. Quietly he walked over towards Ben, then hesitated a few yards back, seeing that Ben was sitting cross-legged and appeared to be meditating.

"Good morning, Pete. Did you sleep well?" Cain asked without turning his head. Surprised Pete mumbled a reply. Cain slid around to face the young guide. "I heard you coming. I know the others footfalls very well and there is nobody else near us." Something about the simplicity of the response made Pete wonder if that was true. He had approached as quietly as he could, and certainly doubted that Ben could have heard and recognised his footsteps. "It’s very beautiful here. Very relaxing. Have a seat." Pete sat down on a nearby rock.

They chatted quietly there for a while. The conversation caused Pete to again re-evaluate the man in front of him. He thought he understood James and William. To a lesser extent he thought he understood Yukio and Ando, but Ben kept confusing him. Always Ben seemed to be totally relaxed and polite yet there was something else, something frightening about him. Pete was maybe six inches

Taller and a couple of stone, or more, not to mention more than a dozen years younger, yet there was something about Ben Hampshire that made him wary. Ben interrupted his thought by looking down at his watch.

"It’s after seven, I’ve kept you from your work. Please allow me help you prepare breakfast so that we can make up the time."

After breakfast, they quickly packed up and prepared for the day’s trip. Pete warned them of the various hazards they would run through, including the class four rapids they would face.

The rapids were even faster and more exciting than they expected. Soon after they started out the river dropped altitude quickly – fifty-five feet in just two and a half miles. With the canyon walls closing in, the lower black rock looked very forbidding and they often found themselves gazing up to the more common red rocks above. The Marble Canyon rapid led into the Staircase then the big waves of the Big Hummer then Funnel Falls – a very fast flowing narrow drop between two huge boulders. After that there was Surprise, Skull, the Room of Doom, Sock-It-To-Me and finally Last Chance rapid. Below Last Chance, the canyon opened from a narrow gorge into a more open sandstone canyon and the river grew gentler. They’d covered only four to five miles and were all tired.

A couple of more gentle miles further on, and after a few minor class two rapids, they stopped for lunch. The group was really buzzing with the excitement of the rapids they had traversed. Despite the excitement of the morning, they took their time and enjoyed their lunch, with plenty of discussion of the morning’s events. Pete had been very impressed with their strength and stamina in a very difficult morning. Three of them had not done a lot of rafting before, yet the six of them had gone down the hardest part of Westwater Canyon in a single morning. Normally that was a whole day due to the need for rest part way through. Now they had about thirty miles to go over mainly class one and two white water to get to Highway 191 near Moab. Over this stretch, that was a day and a half normally, but Pete was beginning to realise that he did not have a normal party. If not greatly experienced rafters, they made up for it with strength, stamina, rapid reaction and teamwork.

By eight they arrived at a campsite in the Arches National Park, almost within sight of Highway 191. Pete’s muscles were screaming at the pace they had set, but as nobody else, not even Yukio, had uttered a single complaint, Pete was damn sure he was not going to be the first one. Especially as he spent so much time on this river and knew it so well. As soon as the raft was unloaded and carried away from the water’s edge, Pete phoned his father to arrange to be re-supplied with food. They were a day early, but the food was going down faster than they had expected. It was also easier to be re-supplied here then in Cataract Canyon that followed.

Over the next four days they traversed the one hundred miles and twenty-six class three / four rapids of Cataract Canyon with a number of side hikes to relieve their tired upper bodies. At night they slept at the numerous camping areas within the Canyonlands National Park. At the end of Cataract Canyon, they reached the beautiful Lake Powell. They did not have far to row to get to a take out point where Chisholm senior was waiting. They took on yet more food and this time an engine. The lake was relatively slow moving, so they bolted on the Yamaha outboard to speed them along to the towns of Lees Ferry and Marble Canyon, the beginning of Grand Canyon. For two days they soaked up the sun and rested watching the scenery and chatting as Pete piloted them across Lake Powell. Pete was very happy with his guests. Although they were obviously a very close family, they made a lot of effort to make him feel one of the group rather than just their guide.

Gradually, the closeness of their confinement together and the time they had to talk showed Pete the error of his early assumptions. They really were a tough family. It also became apparent why Ben would be their obvious leader. James was just a little too interested in his appearance and himself. William was a huge bear of a man with intelligence, but he deferred to Ben as soon as his brother spoke. Ando seemed to be a walking computer; whenever they asked a question about the rock formation or wildlife, he had the answer. He translated temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius instantly. But his obsession seemed to be in measuring up to Ben. Yukio, as well as being the most beautiful and exotic woman Pete had seen in his young life, was intelligent and articulate, but she obviously hero worshipped her big brother Ben. That just left Ben, who was always kind, polite and thoughtful yet got things done effortlessly when they needed doing. He was always decisive and obviously used to giving orders, which made sense when Pete found out that he was a British army officer. The others had surprising occupations for such a physical group: James was an investment banker, William a lawyer, Ando an accountant and Yukio was in PR.

After their two-day cruise across Lake Powell, they were met again at Lees Ferry where they dropped off the engine and waste before taking on yet more food and drink. They headed almost due south on the river for two days before taking a slow swing west just after Hance Rapid. Here and there they saw patches of greenery now as the canyon widened out. They passed over a large number of rapids as they wound their way through the canyon. The scenery had subtly changed from the rocky, high desert they had been through in Colorado and Utah into a taller, almost immeasurably tall so it seemed from the bottom, but less barren landscape here in Arizona. The Grand Canyon is about 280 miles long and over a mile deep in places. The weather can be very variable due to the height differences within the canyon, but it was always hot and dry with never a cloud visible. Pete was losing his battle to control the group and having to spend more and more of his effort just to keep up with them. Never had he had a group so keen and so able to face the limit of human effort. Each night he made strenuous efforts to avoid complaining, especially as he saw Yukio swallow up her fair share of work without complaint. Every day they passed more groups of rafters.

If you stand at the top of the Grand Canyon you feel you’ve seen a huge split in the earth’s crust, something truly monumental. However, from the bottom you get another view entirely. The walls are enormous; a mile high in places. Although not vertical, the only things that go up and down the canyon walls without ropes are the tourist mules and local goats. In the wider parts of the canyon, you are almost on another planet with huge rock walls defining the end of your world away in the distance.

Eventually they reached the end of Grand Canyon and were able to port the raft out of the water to a nearby location where John Chisholm was waiting with he big Chevy. He had ice cold beers for them all whilst he and his son loaded their gear. The beer worked wonders, especially for Pete when he got to have his, and they were soon recovered from exhaustion and ready for their evening in Las Vegas.

The view down the strip was superb as they first saw it all lit up in the darkness. After long showers to clean out two weeks of wilderness, they dressed and were ready for dinner, although James, William and Pete had to be woken and bullied somewhat to get them ready. After two weeks of simple barbecue and one pot cooking, they were ready for something a little more refined, so John took them to a French restaurant in one of the big hotels.

The meal was excellent and washed down with rather too much wine before they descended on the casinos to waste some money. James was an accomplished card player and came out nearly two hundred dollars ahead. All the others lost sums up to a few hundred dollars, except Ando, who found he was able to work the odds well and won more than a thousand dollars, despite not being much of a gambler.

Finally, with the sun up, they carried William and Pete up to their rooms and slept through until lunchtime. After a light lunch, the Chisholms drove them to Las Vegas airport for their evening flights home. They said long and heartfelt goodbyes to their hosts before disappearing through to the departures lounge. Here they had a very personal split as three of them were flying back to England and two to Japan.

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