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nough strength to lift a telephone。 But 50；000…ton tankers； though not a dying breed； were a dwindling breed； principally because the main shipyards throughout the world had stopped producing them。 〃Had〃 is the operative word。 Keels of that size and even smaller were now being hastily laid down； but would not be in full operation for a year or two to e。 The reason was perfectly simple。 Supertankers on the Arabian Gulf…Europe run had to make the long and prohibitively expensive circuit around the Cape of Good Hope because the newly reopened Suez Canal could not acmodate their immense draft； a problem that presented no difficulties to smaller tankers。 It was said； and probably with more than a grain of truth； that the notoriously wily Greek shipowners had established a corner on this particular market。 The dawn was in the sky。
At that precise moment there were scenes of considerable activity around and aboard the Seawitch。 The Panamanian…registered tanker Torbetto was just finishing off…loading the contents of the SeawitcWs massive floating conical oil tank。 As they were doing so； two helicopters appeared over the northeastern horizon。 Both were very large Sikorsky machines which had been bought by the thrifty Lord Worth for the traditional song； not because they were obsolete but because they were two of the scores that had bee redundant since the end of the Vietnam War； and the armed forces had been only too anxious to get rid of them： civilian demand for ex…gunships is not high。
The first of those to land on the helipad debarked twenty…two men； led by Lord Worth and Giuseppe Palermo。 The other twenty； who from their appearance were not much given to caring for widows and orphans； all carried with them the impeccable credentials of oil experts of one type or another。 That they were experts was beyond question； what was equally beyond question was that none of them would have recognized a barrel of oil if he had fallen into it。 They were experts in diving； underwater demolition； the handling of high explosives； and the accurate firing of a variety of unpleasant weapons。
The second helicopter arrived immediately after the first had taken off。 Except for the pilot and copilot； it carried no other human cargo。 What it did carry was the immense and varied quantity of highly offensive weapons from the Florida arsenal； the loss of which had not yet been reported in the newspapers。
The oil…rig crew watched the arrival of gunmen and weapons with an oddly dispassionate curiosity。 They were men to whom the unusual was familiar； the odd； the incongruous； the inexplicable； part and parcel of their daily lives。 Oil…rig crews are a race apart； and Lord Worth's men formed a very special subdivision of that race。
Lord Worth called them all together； told of the threat to the Seawitch and the defensive measures he was undertaking； measures which were thoroughly approved of by the crew； who had as much regard for their own skins as had the rest of mankind。 Lord Worth finished by saying that he knew he had no need to swear them to secrecy。
In this the noble Lord was perfectly correct。 Though they were all experienced； hardly a man aboard had not at one time or another had a close and painful acquaintanceship with the law。 There were ex…convicts among them。 There were escaped convicts among them。 There were those whom the law was very anxious to interview。 And there were parolees who had broken their parole。 There could be no safer hideouts for those men than the Seawitch and Lord Worth's privately owned motel where they put up during then* off…duty spells。 No law officer in his sane mind was going to question the towering respectability and integrity of one of the most powerful oil barons in the world； and by inevitable implication this attitude of mind extended to those in his employ。
In other words； Lord Worth； through the invaluable intermediacy of mander Larsen； picked his men with extreme care。
Acmodation for the newly arrived men and storage for the weaponry presented no problem。 Like many jack…ups； drill ships and sub…mersibles； the Seawitch had two plete sets of acmodation and messes…one for Westerners； the other for Orientals： there were at that time no Orientals aboard。
Lord Worth； mander Larsen and Palermo held their own private council of war in the luxuriously equipped sitting room which Lord Worth kept permanently reserved for himself。 They agreed on everything。 They agreed that Cronkite's campaign against them would be distinguished by a noticeable lack of subtlety： outright violence was the only course open to him。 Once the oil was off…loaded ashore； there was nothing Cronkite could do about it。 He would not attempt to attack and sink a loaded tanker； just as he would not attempt to destroy their huge floating storage tank。 Either method would cause a massive oil slick； parable to or probably exceeding the great oil slick caused by the Torrey Canyon disaster off the southwest coast of England some years previously。 The ensuing international uproar would be bound to uncover something； and if Cronkite were implicated he would undoubtedly implicate the major oil panies…who wouldn't like that at all。 And that there would be a massive investigation was inevitable： ecology and pollution were still the watchwords of the day。
Cronkite could attack the flexible oil pipe that connected the rig with the tank； but the three men agreed that this could be taken care of。 After Conde and the Roamer arrived and its cargo had been hoisted aboard； the Roamer would maintain a constant day…and…night patrol between the rig and the tank。 The Seawitch was well…equipped with sensory devices； apart from those which controlled the tensioning anchor cables。 A radar scanner was in constant operation atop the derrick； and sonar devices were attached to each of the three giant legs some twenty feet under water。 The radar could detect any hostile approach from air or sea； and the dual…purpose antiaircraft guns； aboard and installed； could take care of those。 In the highly unlikely event of an underwater attack； sonar would locate the source； and a suitably placed depth charge from the Roamer would attend to that。
Lord Worth； of course； was unaware that at that very moment another craft was moving out at high speed to join Cronkite on the Tiburon。 It was a standard and well…established design irreverently known as the 〃push…pull；〃 in which water was ducted in through a tube forward under the hull and forced out under pressure at the rear。 It had no propeller and had been designed primarily for work close inshore or in swamps； where there was always the danger of the propeller being fouled。 The only difference between this vessel…the Starlight…and others was that it was equipped with a bank of storage batteries and could be electrically powered。 Sonar could detect and accurately pinpoint a ship's engines and propeller vibrations； it was virtually helpless against an electric push…pull。
Lord Worth and the others considered the possibility of a direct attack on the Seawitch。 Because of her high degree of partmentaliza…tion and her great positive buoyancy； nothing short of an atom bomb was capable of disposing of something as large as