FOURTH AMENDMENT TO AND ASSUMPTION OF SECURITY AGREEMENT


          THIS  FOURTH  AMENDMENT TO AND ASSUMPTION  OF  SECURITY
AGREEMENT ("Fourth Amendment") dated as of September 30, 1999, is
made  between  XCL-Texas,  Inc.  ("XCL-Texas")  and  Construction
Specialists, Inc. d/b/a Con-Spec, Inc. ("Lender"), who  agree  as
follows:

                            Recitals

          WHEREAS,  XCL  Land, Ltd. ("XCL Land") and  the  Lender
entered  into that certain Security Agreement dated  November  6,
1998,  as  amended  by that certain First Amendment  to  Security
Agreement  dated  January 15, 1999, as amended  by  that  certain
Second  Amendment to Security Agreement dated  as  of  April  13,
1999,  as  amended  by that certain Third Amendment  to  Security
Agreement dated as of May 21, 1999 (the "Security Agreement")  in
order to secure the full and punctual payment and performance  of
the  indebtedness described therein (capitalized terms  used  but
not  defined herein shall have the meaning given to them  in  the
Security Agreement); and

          WHEREAS,   pursuant  to  Section  11  of  the  Security
Agreement,  the Lender agreed that in the event additional  Units
were  sold or additional New Funds were provided to XCL  Land  by
persons other than Lender and secured by partnership interests in
the  Partnership, Lender would immediately upon  demand  (one  or
more  times,  as appropriate) execute further amendments  to  the
Security   Agreement  releasing  a  percentage  of   XCL   Land's
Partnership   Interest  sufficient  to  allocate   the   security
interests  in  the partnership interest of the Partnership  among
the   Unit  holders  or  other  providers  of  New  Funds  on   a
proportionate basis (provided that no reduction in such  security
interest  need be made with respect to amounts of  New  Funds  in
excess of an aggregate of $6,200,000 principal outstanding); and

          WHEREAS, an additional $1,500,000 in New Funds has been
provided  to  XCL  Land  thereby making the  aggregate  principal
amount of New Funds outstanding as of September 30, 1999 equal to
$4,200,000 with Lender having contributed $950,000 of such funds;
and

          WHEREAS,  XCL-Texas has requested that  Lender  execute
this  Fourth  Amendment  to release a  portion  of  its  security
interest and amend the Security Agreement to reflect the Lender's
revised security interest; and

          WHEREAS,  XCL  Land  assigned a 1% general  partnership
interest in the Partnership to XCL-Texas and withdrew as  general
partner of the Partnership; and

          WHEREAS, XCL Land's remaining partnership interest  was
converted to a limited partnership interest and, thereafter,  XCL
Land  merged with and into The Exploration Company of  Louisiana,
Inc. ("TECLI"); and

          WHEREAS, as a result of the merger, TECLI succeeded  by
operation  of  law  to all of the assets and liabilities  of  XCL
Land, including but not limited to the Note; and

          WHEREAS, as a further result of the merger, TECLI  owns
a  99%  limited partnership interest in the Partnership  and  has
acknowledged  and  agreed  that  Lender's  security  interest  in
TECLI's   partnership   interest   covers   Lender's   applicable
percentage  of  TECLI's entire 99% limited partnership  interest;
and

          WHEREAS,   XCL-Texas  wishes  to  acknowledge  Lender's
security interest in Lender's applicable percentage of XCL-Texas'
1%  general  partnership interest and assume  all  of  XCL-Land's
obligations under the Security Agreement.

          NOW,  THEREFORE,  in  consideration  of  the  foregoing
premises  and other good and valuable consideration, the  receipt
and  sufficiency  of  which is hereby acknowledged,  the  parties
hereto agree as follows:

          Section  1.   Substitution  of  Parties.   Lender   and
XCL-Texas  hereby agree that the Security Agreement,  as  amended
hereby, is now between Lender and XCL-Texas and XCL-Texas  hereby
assumes   all  of  XCL  Land's  obligations  under  the  Security
Agreement.

          Section  2.  Partial  Release  of  Collateral.   Lender
hereby releases the following collateral:

          (1)  12.58% of XCL-Texas' now owned or hereafter acquired
               Partnership Interest in the Partnership;

          (2)  12.58% of any and all monies and other distributions (cash
               or property), allocations or payments made or to be made to XCL-
               Texas pursuant to the Partnership Agreement or attributable to
               the Partnership Interest;

          (3)  all General Intangibles related in any way to the collateral
               described in clauses 1 or 2 above;

          (4)  all Proceeds and products of all or any of the collateral
               described in clauses 1-3 above.

          Section  3.  Amendments  to  Security  Agreement.   The
Security Agreement is hereby amended as follows:

          (a)      The reference to "XCL Land, Ltd. ("Borrower")"
in the first sentence of the Security Agreement is hereby changed
to "XCL-Texas, Inc. ("XCL-Texas")."

          (b)       The   references  to  "The  Borrower,"   "the
Borrower"  and  "Borrower"  in  Recital  paragraph  A,   in   the
definition  of  "New  Funds,"  in the  definition  of  "Permitted
Liens,"  in  the definition of "Subscription Agreement,"  in  the
first  two places those terms appear in Section 2(A), and in  the
first two places those terms appear in the sentence in Section 11
that  begins "Lender further agrees and acknowledges" are  hereby
changed to "The Exploration Company of Louisiana, Inc."

          (c)       The   references  to  "The  Borrower,"   "the
Borrower"  and  "Borrower" in all other places  in  the  Security
Agreement are hereby changed to "XCL-Texas."

          (d)     The reference to "35.2%" in Section 2(A)(1) and
2(A)(2)  is hereby deleted and the phrase "22.62%" is substituted
in its place.

          (e)      The  federal  taxpayer  identification  number
listed  in Section 7 of the Security Agreement is hereby  changed
to 74-2027391.

          (f)      The address in Section 8 is hereby amended  to
read  3639  Ambassador  Caffery Parkway,  Suite  400,  Lafayette,
Louisiana 70503.

          Section  4.  Effect of Amendment.  Except as  expressly
amended  hereby and except as to the collateral released pursuant
hereto,  the  Security Agreement shall remain in full  force  and
effect.

          Section 5.  Titles of Sections.  All titles or headings
to sections of this Fourth Amendment are only for the convenience
of  the parties and shall not be construed to have any effect  or
meaning with respect to the other content of such sections,  such
other  content being controlling as to the agreement between  the
parties hereto.

          Section 6.  Governing Law.  This Fourth Amendment is  a
contract made under and shall be construed in accordance with and
governed  by  the  laws of the United States of America  and  the
State of Louisiana.

          Section 7.  Counterparts.  This Fourth Amendment may be
executed  in  two  or  more counterparts, and  it  shall  not  be
necessary  that the signatures of all parties hereto be contained
on  any  one counterpart hereof, each counterpart shall be deemed
an   original,  but  all  of  which  when  taken  together  shall
constitute one and the same instrument.

          IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  XCL-Texas and  the  Lender  have
caused  this Fourth Amendment to be duly executed as of the  date
first above written.

WITNESSES:                    XCL-TEXAS, INC.


_________________________     By:________________________________
Name:____________________        Name:___________________________
        (Please Print)          Title:__________________________

_________________________
Name:____________________
        (Please Print)

                              LENDER:

                              CONSTRUCTION   SPECIALISTS,    INC.
                              D/B/A CON-SPEC, INC.


_________________________     By:________________________________
Name:____________________        Name:___________________________
        (Please Print)          Title:__________________________

_________________________
Name:____________________
        (Please Print)