SECURED PROMISSORY NOTE

                                   (TERM LOAN)

$9,000,000                                                        March 16, 1998

     FOR   VALUE   RECEIVED,   the   undersigned   (hereinafter,   collectively,
"Borrower"),  hereby jointly and severally  promise to pay to the order of FLEET
CAPITAL CORPORATION,  a Rhode Island corporation  (hereinafter "Lender"), at its
office located at 2711 North Haskell, Suite 2100, LB 21, Dallas, Texas 75204, or
at such other  location as Lender may  request,  in such coin or currency of the
United  States  which  shall be legal  tender in  payment of all debts and dues,
public and private,  at the time of payment,  the  principal sum of NINE MILLION
AND NO/100 DOLLARS ($9,000,000),  together with interest from and after the date
hereof at the per annum rate set forth below.

     Subject to Section  2.1.3 of the Loan  Agreement  (as defined  below),  the
unpaid principal balance outstanding  hereunder shall accrue interest at the per
annum rate (hereinafter  referred to as the "Applicable  Annual Rate") specified
in Section 2.1.1 of that certain Loan and Security Agreement, dated of even date
herewith, by and among Lender and Borrower (as amended, restated or renewed from
time to time, the "Loan Agreement"), except that (a) such Applicable Annual Rate
may be subject to reduction pursuant to Section 2.1.4 of the Loan Agreement, and
(b) upon and after the  occurrence  and  during the  continuance  of an Event of
Default, the unpaid principal balance outstanding hereunder,  and, to the extent
permitted by applicable law, past due interest hereunder,  shall accrue interest
at the Default Rate specified in Section 2.1.2 of the Loan Agreement.

     This Secured Promissory Note (this "Note") is the Term Note referred to in,
and is issued  pursuant  to, the Loan  Agreement,  and is entitled to all of the
benefits and security of the Loan  Agreement.  All of the terms,  covenants  and
conditions  of the  Loan  Agreement  and all  other  instruments  evidencing  or
securing the indebtedness hereunder (hereinafter collectively referred to as the
"Loan  Documents")  are  hereby  made  a  part  of  this  Note  and  are  deemed
incorporated herein in full. All capitalized terms used herein, unless otherwise
specifically  defined in this Note, shall have the meanings  ascribed to them in
the Loan Agreement.

     The principal  amount of and all accrued interest on this Note shall be due
and payable on the dates and in the manner hereinafter set forth:

          (a)  Interest  shall be due and payable  monthly,  in arrears,  on the
     first day of each month, commencing on April 1, 1998, and continuing on the
     first day of each month  thereafter  until such time as the full  principal
     balance,  together with all other amounts owing hereunder,  shall have been
     paid in full;

          (b) Principal  shall be due and payable in equal monthly  installments
     on the first day of each month commencing on April 1, 1998, as follows:

                 Period                             Monthly Installment Amount
    ------------------------------------            --------------------------
    April 1, 1998 through March 31, 2001                    $107,142.86







     Borrower  (i) shall prepay this Note as provided in Section 3.3 and Section
4.2.1  of the  Loan  Agreement  and (ii) may  terminate  the Loan  Agreement  in
accordance  with the  provisions  of Section 4.2 of the Loan  Agreement,  and in
connection with such termination,  shall prepay this Note in the manner provided
in Section 4.2 of the Loan Agreement.

     Upon or after the occurrence of an Event of Default,  Lender shall have all
of the  rights  and  remedies  set forth in  Section  10 of the Loan  Agreement,
including  the right to  declare  the then  outstanding  principal  balance  and
accrued interest hereof to be and the same shall thereupon  become,  immediately
due and payable without notice to or demand upon Borrower, all of which Borrower
hereby expressly waives.

     Notwithstanding  anything to the contrary in this Note or otherwise, (i) if
at any time the  amount of  interest  computed  on the  basis of the  Applicable
Annual Rate or a Default Rate would exceed the amount of such interest  computed
upon the basis of the maximum rate of interest  permitted by applicable state or
federal law in effect from time to time  hereafter  (the "Maximum  Legal Rate"),
the  interest  payable  under this Note shall be computed  upon the basis of the
Maximum Legal Rate, but any subsequent  reduction in such Applicable Annual Rate
or Default  Rate,  as  applicable,  shall not reduce  such  interest  thereafter
payable  hereunder  below the amount  computed on the basis of the Maximum Legal
Rate until the aggregate  amount of such interest accrued and payable under this
Note  equals the total  amount of  interest  which  would  have  accrued if such
interest had been at all times  computed  solely on the basis of the  Applicable
Annual Rate or Default Rate, as applicable; and (ii) unless preempted by federal
law, the  Applicable  Annual Rate or Default Rate, as  applicable,  from time to
time in effect  hereunder may not exceed the "weekly  ceiling" from time to time
in effect  under  Chapter 303 of the Texas  Finance  Code  (Vernon's  Texas Code
Annotated), as amended from time to time (as amended, the "Texas Finance Code").
If the  applicable  state or  federal  law is  amended  in the future to allow a
greater rate of interest to be charged under this Note than is presently allowed
by applicable  state or federal law, then the  limitation of interest  hereunder
shall be increased to the maximum rate of interest  allowed by applicable  state
or federal law as amended,  which increase  shall be effective  hereunder on the
effective date of such  amendment,  and all interest  charges owing to Lender by
reason  thereof  shall be  payable  at the same  date and in the same  manner as
accrued interest on this Note is generally payable pursuant to the provisions of
this Note.

     No  agreements,  conditions,  provisions or  stipulation  contained in this
Note, the Loan Agreement or any other instrument,  document or agreement between
Borrower  and Lender or default of  Borrower,  or the  exercise by Lender of the
right to accelerate the payment of the maturity of principal and interest, or to
exercise  any  option  whatsoever  contained  in  this  Note or any  other  Loan
Document, or the arising of any contingency whatsoever,  shall entitle Lender to
contract for, charge, or receive,  in any event,  interest exceeding the Maximum
Legal Rate.  In no event shall  Borrower be obligated to pay interest  exceeding
such Maximum Legal Rate and all agreements,  conditions or stipulations, if any,
which may in any event or contingency  whatsoever  operate to bind,  obligate or
compel  Borrower to pay a rate of  interest  exceeding  the Maximum  Legal Rate,
shall be without  binding  force or effect,  at law or in equity,  to the extent
only of the excess of interest  over such Maximum  Legal Rate.  In the event any
interest is contracted  for,  charged or received in excess of the Maximum Legal
Rate ("Excess  Interest"),  Borrower

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acknowledges and stipulate that any such contract,  charge,  or receipt shall be
the result of an  accident  and bona fide  error,  and that any Excess  Interest
received by Lender shall be applied,  first, to reduce the principal then unpaid
hereunder;  second,  to reduce the other  Obligations;  and third,  returned  to
Borrower,  it being the intention of the parties hereto not to enter at any time
into a usurious or otherwise  illegal  relationship.  Borrower  recognizes that,
with fluctuations in the Applicable Annual Rate and the Maximum Legal Rate, such
a result could  inadvertently  occur.  By the  execution of this Note,  Borrower
covenants that (i) the credit or return of any Excess Interest shall  constitute
the acceptance by Borrower of such Excess Interest,  and (ii) Borrower shall not
seek or pursue any other remedy,  legal or equitable,  against Lender,  based in
whole or in part upon contracting for,  charging or receiving of any interest in
excess of the maximum  rate  authorized  by  applicable  law. For the purpose of
determining  whether or not any Excess Interest has been contracted for, charged
or  received by Lender,  all  interest at any time  contracted  for,  charged or
received by Lender in connection  with this Note shall be  amortized,  prorated,
allocated and spread in equal parts during the entire term of this Note.

     Time is of the essence of this Note. Unless otherwise  provided in the Loan
Agreement,  Borrower, for itself and its legal  representatives,  successors and
assigns,  expressly  waives,  to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law,
presentment,  demand, protest, notice of dishonor, notice of non-payment, notice
of intent to accelerate,  notice of acceleration,  notice of maturity, notice of
protest,  presentment  for the purpose of  accelerating  maturity,  diligence in
collection, and the benefit of any exemption or insolvency laws.

     If this Note is collected by or through an attorney at law,  Borrower shall
be obligated to pay, in addition to the principal  balance and accrued  interest
hereof,  reasonable  attorney's fees and court costs,  and any other charges for
which Borrower is responsible under the Loan Agreement and other Loan Documents.

     Wherever possible, each provision of this Note shall be interpreted in such
manner as to be effective and valid under  Applicable  Law, but if any provision
of this Note shall be prohibited or invalid under Applicable Law, such provision
shall be  ineffective to the extent of such  prohibition  or invalidity  without
invalidating  the  remainder of such  provision or remaining  provisions of this
Note.  No delay or failure on the part of Lender in the exercise of any right or
remedy  hereunder shall operate as a waiver  thereof,  nor as an acquiescence in
any default,  nor shall any single or partial exercise by Lender of any right or
remedy preclude any other right or remedy.  Lender,  at its option,  may enforce
its rights  against any  collateral  securing  this Note without  enforcing  its
rights against Borrower,  any guarantor of the indebtedness  evidenced hereby or
any other property or  indebtedness  due or to become due to Borrower.  Borrower
agrees that,  without  releasing or impairing  Borrower's  liability  hereunder,
Lender may at any time release, surrender, substitute or exchange any collateral
securing  this  Note  and  may  at any  time  release  any  party  primarily  or
secondarily liable for the indebtedness evidenced by this Note.

     This Note shall be governed by, and  construed  and enforced in  accordance
with, the laws of the State of Texas.


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     IN WITNESS  WHEREOF,  Borrower has caused this Note to be duly executed and
delivered in Dallas, Texas, on the date first above written.

                                                BORROWER:

                                                BLACK WARRIOR WIRELINE CORP.,

                                                a Delaware corporation

                                                By:_____________________________
                                                Name:___________________________
                                                Title:  Chief Executive Officer

                                                BOONE WIRELINE CO., INC.,

                                                an Alabama corporation

                                                By:   __________________________
                                                Name:___________________________
                                                Title:   Chief Executive Officer