BLACK TIDE

Straightforward adventure for boys against a unique background of off-shore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. It is refreshing to have a good combination of story interest with the ever recurrent problem of summer earnings. Len, Ted and Am, New England High School juniors, are taking their holidays by earning their way in the Maine fishing sloop, the A. They hire out their services to a Mr. Appleby, owner of an oil-drilling rig, and are elbowed all unsuspecting into some fancy detective and patrol duty. Mr. Appleby's oil claims are threatened by the sabotage of an unscrupulous competitor who does not stop at theft, threats and murder to profit by Appleby's strikes. The boys squeak through some tight spots, locate a precious oil site in secret, are captured by thugs, race against storm and men. An added attraction for sailing enthusiasts es in the meaty substance on ships and sailing and the author's many diagrams.