EXHIBIT 10.5



               HOLDING GUARANTEE AGREEMENT dated as of April 7, 1998, between
          RIVER HOLDING CORP., a Delaware corporation (the "Guarantor") and
          BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, a New York banking corporation, as collateral
          agent (the "Collateral Agent") for the Secured Parties (as defined in
          the Credit Agreement referred to below).


     Reference is made to the Credit Agreement dated as of April 7, 1998 (as
amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the "Credit
Agreement"), among Hudson Respiratory Care Inc., a California corporation (the
"Borrower"), the Guarantor, the lenders from time to time party thereto (the
"Lenders"), Bankers Trust Company, as administrative agent for the Lenders (in
such capacity, the "Administrative Agent"), Collateral Agent and issuing bank
(in such capacity, the "Issuing Bank").  Capitalized terms used herein and not
defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit
Agreement.

     The Lenders have agreed to make Loans to the Borrower, and the Issuing Bank
has agreed to issue Letters of Credit for the account of the Borrower, pursuant
to, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions specified in, the Credit
Agreement.  As the owner of all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of
the Borrower, the Guarantor acknowledges that it will derive substantial benefit
from the making of the Loans by the Lenders and the issuance of the Letters of
Credit by the Issuing Bank.  The obligations of the Lenders to make Loans and of
the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit are conditioned on, among other
things, the execution and delivery by the Guarantor of a Guarantee Agreement in
the form hereof.  As consideration therefor and in order to induce the Lenders
to make Loans and the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit, the Guarantor is
willing to execute this Agreement.

     Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:

      SECTION 1.  Guarantee.  The Guarantor unconditionally guarantees, as a
primary obligor and not merely as a surety, (a) the due and punctual payment of
(i) the principal of and premium, if any, and interest (including interest
accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or
other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such
proceeding) on the Loans, when and as due, whether at maturity, by acceleration,
upon one or more dates set for prepayment or otherwise, (ii) each payment
required to be made by the Borrower under the Credit Agreement in respect of any
Letter of Credit, when and as due, including payments in respect of
reimbursement of disbursements, interest thereon and obligations to provide cash
collateral and (iii) all other monetary obligations, including fees, costs,
expenses and indemnities, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed
or otherwise (including monetary obligations incurred during the pendency of any
bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of
whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), of the Credit Parties to the
Secured Parties under the Credit Agreement and the other Credit Documents and
(b) unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the applicable Lender party
thereto, all monetary obligations of the Borrower, under each Interest Rate
Protection Agreement entered into with a counterparty that was a Lender at the
time such Interest Rate Protection Agreement was entered into (all the monetary
obligations referred to in the preceding clauses (a) through (b) being
collectively called the "Obligations").  The Guarantor further agrees that the
Obligations may be extended or renewed, in whole or in part, without notice to
or further assent from it, and that it will remain bound upon its guarantee
notwithstanding any extension or renewal of any Obligation.

 
                                                                               2

     Anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, the
obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall be limited to a maximum aggregate
amount equal to the greatest amount that would not render the Guarantor's
obligations hereunder subject to avoidance as a fraudulent transfer or
conveyance under Section 548 of Title 11 of the United States Code or any
provisions of applicable state law (collectively, the "Fraudulent Transfer
Laws"), in each case after giving effect to all other liabilities of the
Guarantor, contingent or otherwise, that are relevant under the Fraudulent
Transfer Laws (specifically excluding, however, any liabilities of the Guarantor
(a) in respect of intercompany indebtedness to the Borrower or Affiliates of the
Borrower to the extent that such indebtedness would be discharged in an amount
equal to the amount paid by the Guarantor hereunder and (b) under any Guarantee
of senior unsecured indebtedness or Indebtedness subordinated in right of
payment to the Obligations which Guarantee contains a limitation as to maximum
amount similar to that set forth in this clause, pursuant to which the liability
of the Guarantor hereunder is included in the liabilities taken into account in
determining such maximum amount) and after giving effect as assets to the value
(as determined under the applicable provisions of the Fraudulent Transfer Laws)
of any rights to subrogation, contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or similar
rights of the Guarantor pursuant to (i) applicable law or (ii) any agreement
providing for an equitable allocation among the Guarantor and other Affiliates
of the Borrower of obligations arising under Guarantees by such parties
(including the Indemnity, Subrogation and Contribution Agreement).

      SECTION 2.  Obligations Not Waived.  To the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law, the Guarantor waives presentment to, demand of payment from and
protest to the Borrower of any of the Obligations, and also waives notice of
acceptance of its guarantee and notice of protest for nonpayment.  To the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the obligations of the Guarantor
hereunder shall not be affected by (a) the failure of the Collateral Agent or
any other Secured Party to assert any claim or demand or to enforce or exercise
any right or remedy against the Borrower or any other guarantor of the
Obligations under the provisions of the Credit Agreement, any other Credit
Document or otherwise, (b) any rescission, waiver, amendment or modification of,
or any release from any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement, any other
Credit Document, any Guarantee or any other agreement, including with respect to
any other guarantor of the Obligations or (c) the failure to perfect any
security interest in, or the release of, any of the security held by or on
behalf of the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party.

      SECTION 3.  Security.  The Guarantor authorizes the Collateral Agent and
each of the other Secured Parties to (a) take and hold security for the payment
of this Guarantee and the Obligations and exchange, enforce, waive and release
any such security, (b) apply such security and direct the order or manner of
sale thereof as they in their sole discretion may determine and (c) release or
substitute any one or more endorsees, other guarantors or other obligers.

      SECTION 4.  Guarantee of Payment.  The Guarantor further agrees that its
guarantee constitutes a guarantee of payment when due and not of collection, and
waives any right to require that any resort be had by the Collateral Agent or
any other Secured Party to any of the security held for payment of the
Obligations or to any balance of any deposit account or credit on the books of
the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party in favor of the Borrower or any
other person.

 
                                                                               3

      SECTION 5.  No Discharge or Diminishment of Guarantee.  The obligations of
the Guarantor hereunder shall not be subject to any reduction, limitation,
impairment or termination for any reason (other than the indefeasible payment in
full in cash of the Obligations), including any claim of waiver, release,
surrender, alteration or compromise of any of the Obligations, and shall not be
subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment or termination
whatsoever by reason of the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of the
Obligations or otherwise.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the
obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall not be discharged or impaired or
otherwise affected by the failure of the Collateral Agent or any other Secured
Party to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any remedy under the Credit
Agreement, any other Credit Document or any other agreement, by any waiver or
modification of any provision of any thereof, by any default, failure or delay,
wilful or otherwise, in the performance of the Obligations, or by any other act
or omission that may or might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of
the Guarantor or that would otherwise operate as a discharge of the Guarantor as
a matter of law or equity (other than the indefeasible payment in full in cash
of all the Obligations).

      SECTION 6.  Defenses of Borrower Waived.  To the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law, the Guarantor waives any defense based on or arising out of
any defense of the Borrower or the unenforceability of the Obligations or any
part thereof from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of
the Borrower, other than the final and indefeasible payment in full in cash of
the Obligations.  The Collateral Agent and the other Secured Parties may, at
their election, foreclose on any security held by one or more of them by one or
more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such security in
lieu of foreclosure, compromise or adjust any part of the Obligations, make any
other accommodation with the Borrower or any other guarantor or exercise any
other right or remedy available to them against the Borrower or any other
guarantor, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of the
Guarantor hereunder except to the extent the Obligations have been fully,
finally and indefeasibly paid in cash.  To the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law, the Guarantor waives any defense arising out of any such
election even though such election operates, pursuant to applicable law, to
impair or to extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right
or remedy of the Guarantor against the Borrower or any other guarantor, as the
case may be, or any security.

      SECTION 7.  Agreement to Pay; Subrogation.  In furtherance of the
foregoing and not in limitation of any other right that the Collateral Agent or
any other Secured Party has at law or in equity against the Guarantor by virtue
hereof, upon the failure of the Borrower or any other Credit Party to pay any
Obligation when and as the same shall become due, whether at maturity, by
acceleration, after notice of prepayment or otherwise, the Guarantor hereby
promises to and will forthwith pay, or cause to be paid, to the Collateral Agent
or such other Secured Party as designated thereby in cash the amount of such
unpaid Obligations.  Upon payment by the Guarantor of any sums to the Collateral
Agent or any Secured Party as provided above, all rights of the Guarantor
against the Borrower arising as a result thereof by way of right of subrogation,
contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or otherwise shall in all respects be
subordinate and junior in right of payment to the prior indefeasible payment in
full in cash of all the Obligations.  In addition, any indebtedness of the
Borrower now or hereafter held by the Guarantor is hereby subordinated in right
of payment to the prior payment in full of the Obligations.  If any amount shall
erroneously be paid to the Guarantor on account of (i) such subrogation,
contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or similar right or (ii) any such
indebtedness of the Borrower, such amount shall be held in trust for the benefit
of the Secured Parties and shall forthwith be paid to the

 
                                                                               4

Collateral Agent to be credited against the payment of the Obligations, whether
matured or unmatured, in accordance with the terms of the Credit Documents.

      SECTION 8.  Information.  The Guarantor assumes all responsibility for
being and keeping itself informed of the Borrower's financial condition and
assets, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of
the Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that the Guarantor
assumes and incurs hereunder, and agrees that none of the Collateral Agent or
the other Secured Parties will have any duty to advise the Guarantor of
information known to it or any of them regarding such circumstances or risks.

      SECTION 9.  Representations and Warranties.  The Guarantor represents and
warrants as to itself that all representations and warranties relating to it
contained in the Credit Agreement are true and correct.

      SECTION 10.  Termination.  The Guarantee made hereunder (a) shall
terminate when all the Obligations (other than inchoate indemnification and
expense reimbursement obligations) have been indefeasibly paid in full and the
Lenders have no further commitment to lend under the Credit Agreement, the L/C
Exposure has been reduced to zero and the Issuing Bank has no further obligation
to issue Letters of Credit under the Credit Agreement and (b) shall continue to
be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or
any part thereof, of any Obligation is rescinded or must otherwise be restored
by any Secured Party or the Guarantor upon the bankruptcy or reorganization of
the Borrower, the Guarantor or otherwise.

      SECTION 11.  Binding Agreement; Assignments.  Whenever in this Agreement
any of the parties hereto is referred to, such reference shall be deemed to
include the successors and assigns of such party; and all covenants, promises
and agreements by or on behalf of the Guarantor that are contained in this
Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of each party hereto and their
respective successors and assigns.  This Agreement shall become effective when a
counterpart hereof executed on behalf of the Guarantor shall have been delivered
to the Collateral Agent and a counterpart hereof shall have been executed on
behalf of the Collateral Agent, and thereafter shall be binding upon the
Guarantor and the Collateral Agent and their respective successors and assigns,
and shall inure to the benefit of the Guarantor, the Collateral Agent and the
other Secured Parties, and their respective successors and assigns, except that
the Guarantor shall not have the right to assign its rights or obligations
hereunder or any interest herein (and any such attempted assignment shall be
void).

      SECTION 12.  Waivers; Amendment.  (a) No failure or delay of the
Collateral Agent in exercising any power or right hereunder shall operate as a
waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or
power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or
power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any
other right or power.  The rights and remedies of the Collateral Agent hereunder
and of the other Secured Parties under the other Credit Documents are cumulative
and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have.
No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or consent to any departure by the
Guarantor therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be
permitted by clause (b), and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only
in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given.  No notice or
demand on the Guarantor in any case shall entitle the Guarantor to any other or
further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances.

 
                                                                               5

     (b) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended
or modified except pursuant to a written agreement entered into between the
Guarantor and the Collateral Agent, with the prior written consent of the
Required Lenders (except as otherwise provided in the Credit Agreement).

      SECTION 13.  Governing Law.  THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND
CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD
TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAWS.

      SECTION 14.  Notices.  All communications and notices hereunder shall be
in writing and given as provided in Section 9.01 of the Credit Agreement.  All
communications and notices hereunder to the Guarantor shall be given to it at
27711 Diaz Road, P.O. Box 9020, Temecula, CA 92589-9020.

      SECTION 15.  Survival of Agreement.  (a)  All covenants, agreements,
representations and warranties made by the Guarantors herein and in the
certificates or other instruments prepared or delivered in connection with or
pursuant to this Agreement or any other Credit Document shall be considered to
have been relied upon by the Collateral Agent and the other Secured Parties and
shall survive the making by the Lenders of the Loans and the issuance of the
Letters of Credit by the Issuing Bank regardless of any investigation made by
the Secured Parties or on their behalf, and shall continue in full force and
effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any
other fee or amount payable under this Agreement or any other Credit Document is
outstanding and unpaid or the L/C Exposure does not equal zero and as long as
the Commitments and the L/C Commitment have not been terminated.

     (b)  In the event any one or more of the provisions contained in this
Agreement or in any other Credit Document should be held invalid, illegal or
unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the
remaining provisions contained herein and therein shall not in any way be
affected or impaired thereby (it being understood that the invalidity of a
particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not in and of itself
affect the validity of such provision in any other jurisdiction).  The parties
shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace the invalid, illegal or
unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which
comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable
provisions.

      SECTION 16.  Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when
taken together shall constitute a single contract, and shall become effective as
provided in Section 10.  Delivery of an executed signature page to this
Agreement by facsimile transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a
manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.

      SECTION 17.  Rules of Interpretation.  The rules of interpretation
specified in Section 1.02 of the Credit Agreement shall be applicable to this
Agreement.

     SECTION 18.  Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process.  (a) The
Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its
property, to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any New York State court or
Federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York City, and any
appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or
relating to this Agreement or the other Credit Documents, or for recognition or
enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby

 
                                                                               6

irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such
action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State or, to
the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court. Each of the parties hereto
agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be
conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or
in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any
right that the Collateral Agent or any other Secured Party may otherwise have to
bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or the other Credit
Documents against the Guarantor or its properties in the courts of any
jurisdiction.

     (b)  The Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the
fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection that it may
now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding
arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the other Credit Documents in
any New York State or Federal court.  Each of the parties hereto hereby
irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an
inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such
court.

     (c)  Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of
process in the manner provided for notices in Section 14.  Nothing in this
Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process
in any other manner permitted by law.

      SECTION 19.  WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL.  EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO
THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL
BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF,
UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE OTHER CREDIT DOCUMENTS.  EACH
PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY
OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD
NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B)
ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER
INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER CREDIT DOCUMENTS, AS APPLICABLE, BY, AMONG
OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 19.

      SECTION 20.  Right of Setoff.  If an Event of Default shall have occurred
and be continuing, each Secured Party is hereby authorized at any time and from
time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any
and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at
any time held and other Indebtedness at any time owing by such Secured Party to
or for the credit or the account of the Guarantor against any or all the
obligations of the Guarantor now or hereafter existing under this Agreement and
the other Credit Documents held by such Secured Party, irrespective of whether
or not such Secured Party shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any
other Credit Document and although such obligations may be unmatured.  The
rights of each Secured Party under this Section 20 are in addition to other
rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) which such Secured Party
may have.

      SECTION 21.  Certain Other Rights.  (a)  The Guarantor authorizes the
Collateral Agent, without notice or demand and without affecting its liability
hereunder, from time to time, either before or after revocation hereof, to (i)
renew, compromise, extend, accelerate, or

 
                                                                               7

otherwise change the time for payment of, or otherwise change the terms of the
indebtedness or any part thereof, including increase or decrease of the rate of
interest thereon; (ii) receive and hold security for the payment of the
Obligations, and exchange, enforce, waive, release, fail to perfect, sell, or
otherwise dispose of any such security; (iii) apply such security and direct the
order or manner of sale thereof as the Collateral Agent in its discretion may
determine; and (iv) release or substitute any one or more of the endorsers or
guarantors.

     (b) The Guarantor waives any right to require the Collateral Agent to (i)
proceed against the Borrower; (ii) proceed against or exhaust any security held
from the Borrower; or (iii) pursue any other remedy in the Collateral Agent's
power whatsoever.  The Guarantor waive any defense arising by reason of any
disability or other defense of the Borrower, or the cessation from any cause
whatsoever of the liability of the Borrower, or any claim that the Guarantor's
obligations exceed or are more burdensome than those of the Borrower.  Until the
indebtedness shall have been paid in full, even though the indebtedness is in
excess of the Guarantor's liability hereunder, the Guarantor will not pursue any
right of subrogation, reimbursement, indemnification, and contribution
(contractual, statutory, or otherwise) including, without limitation, any claim
or right of subrogation under the Bankruptcy Code (Title 11, United States Code)
or any successor statute, arising from the existence or performance of this
Guarantee Agreement, and until such payment in full, the Guarantor will not
pursue any right to enforce any remedy which the Collateral Agent and the
Lenders now have or may hereafter have against the Borrower and will not pursue
any benefit of, and any right to participate in, any security now or hereafter
held by the Collateral Agent.  The Guarantor waives all presentments, demands
for performance, notices of nonperformance, protests, notices of protest,
notices of dishonor, and notices of acceptance of this Guarantee Agreement and
of the existence, creation, or incurring of new or additional indebtedness.

     (c)  (i) The Guarantor understands and acknowledges that if the Collateral
Agent forecloses, either by judicial foreclosure or by exercise of power of
sale, any deed of trust securing the Obligations, that foreclosure could impair
or destroy any ability that the Guarantor may have to seek reimbursement,
contribution, or indemnification from the Borrower or others based on any right
the Guarantor may have of subrogation, reimbursement, contribution, or
indemnification for any amounts paid by the Guarantor under this Guarantee
Agreement.  The Guarantor further understands and acknowledges that in the
absence of this paragraph, such potential impairment or destruction of the
Guarantor's rights, if any, may entitle the Guarantor to assert a defense to
this Guarantee Agreement based on Section 580d of the California Code of Civil
Procedure as interpreted in Union Bank v. Gradsky, 265 Cal. App. 2d 40 (1968).
                            ---------------------                              
By executing this Guarantee Agreement, the Guarantor freely, irrevocably, and
unconditionally: (A) waives and relinquishes that defense and agrees that the
Guarantor will be fully liable under this Guarantee Agreement even though the
Collateral Agent may foreclose, either by judicial foreclosure or by exercise of
power of sale, any deed of trust securing the Obligations; (B) agrees that the
Guarantor will not assert that defense in any action or proceeding which the
Collateral Agent may commence to enforce this Guarantee Agreement; (C)
acknowledges and agrees that the rights and defenses waived by the Guarantor in
this Guarantee Agreement include any right or defense that the Guarantor may
have or be entitled to assert based upon or arising out of any one or more of
Sections 580a, 580b, 580d, or 726 of the California Civil Code; and (iv)
acknowledges and agrees that the Collateral Agent and the Lenders are relying on
this waiver in creating the indebtedness, and that this waiver is a material
part of the consideration which the Collateral Agent and the Lenders are
receiving for creating the indebtedness.

 
                                                                               8

          (ii) The Guarantor waives any rights and defenses that are or may
become available to the Guarantor by reason of Sections 2787 to 2855, inclusive,
of the California Civil Code.

         (iii) The Guarantor waive all rights and defenses that the Guarantor
may have because any of the indebtedness is secured by real property.  This
means, among other things: (A) the Collateral Agent may collect from the
Guarantor without first foreclosing on any real or personal property collateral
pledged by the Borrower; and (B) if the Collateral Agent forecloses on any real
property collateral pledged by the Borrower:  (x) the amount of the indebtedness
may be reduced only by the price for which that collateral is sold at the
foreclosure sale, even if the collateral is worth more than the sale price, and
(y) the Collateral Agent may collect from the Guarantor even if the Collateral
Agent, by foreclosing on the real property collateral, has destroyed any right
the Guarantor may have to collect from the Borrower.  This is an unconditional
and irrevocable waiver of any rights and defenses the Guarantor may have because
any of the indebtedness is secured by real property.  These rights and defenses
include, but are not limited to, any rights or defenses based upon Section 580a,
580b, 580d, or 726 of the California Code of Civil Procedure.

          (iv) The Guarantor waives any right or defense they may have at law or
equity, including California Code of Civil Procedure Section 580a, to a fair
market value hearing or action to determine a deficiency judgment after a
foreclosure.

           (v) No provision or waiver in this Guarantee Agreement shall be
construed as limiting the generality of any other waiver contained in this
Guarantee Agreement.

     (d)  The Guarantor acknowledges and agrees that it shall have the sole
responsibility for obtaining from the Borrower such information concerning the
Borrower's financial conditions or business operations as the Guarantor may
require, and that the Collateral Agent has no duty at any time to disclose to
the Guarantor any information relating to the business operations or financial
conditions of the Borrower.

 
                                                                               9


     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as
of the day and year first above written.
 
 
                                         RIVER HOLDING CORP., as
                                         Guarantor,
 
                                          by /s/ Charles P. Rullman
                                            ---------------------------------
                                            Name:  Charles P. Rullman
                                            Title: President

                                         BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, as Collateral
                                         Agent,
 
                                          by /s/ Robert R. Telesca
                                            ---------------------------------
                                            Name:  Robert R. Telesca
                                            Title: Assistant Vice President