For a thrilling minute the scouts found themselves at the centre of a grand old mix-up that churned the waters of the creek; the weaker seal, now half dead, was right beneath the boat. Presently his head appeared upon the surface a few yards ahead of it. Swimming feebly a short distance, he crawled out of the water a little higher up the creek and lay upon the marshy bank entirely played out. His merciless rival reappeared too, to the rear of the boat, strong as ever, swimming rapidly for the creek's mouth and the open water beyond it. "That seal is 'all in';" Nixon pointed to the victim. "If we could go on to the head of the creek, we might step out on the bank and have a good look at him." "I can't land you from the power-boat, but you can get into the little Pill if you like, an' row up 'longside him." Captain Andy pointed to the tubby rowboat bobbing astern. "No! only three of you may go, more might capsize her; she ain't much of a boat, though she's a slick bit o' wood for her size! Easy there now! Steady!" The sturdy Pill was drawn alongside. Scouts Warren and Chase, with one brother Owl, stepped into her, and rowed to the head of the creek, whence they had a near view of the half-throttled creature as he lay, mouth open, stretched out upon the marshy bank, his strong hind-flippers extended behind him, their brown claws glistening with brine. "Whew! he's spotted like a sandpiper's egg," said Nixon, looking at the head and back of the marbled seal. "Seems to me he's of a lighter color than the big fellow who nearly did for him; _he_ looked almost black out of water--but then he was all wet. And what a funny little tail this one has, not bigger than a pair of spectacles!" "See his black nose an' short fore-flippers!" whispered Leon. "Don't his eyes stick out? They're a kind o' blue-black an' glazy. There! he's noticing us now. He's trying to flounder off--with that funny, teetering kind o' wabble they have! Say! hadn't we better row back to Captain Andy, and leave him to recover? He's all used up; that big one gave him an awful licking." And this merciful consideration from Starrie Chase, who, prior to his scout days, would have had no thought save how to finish the cruel work of the big bully and put an end to the beaten rival! "Well! you did see a harbor seal, Nix, 'most near enough to shake his flipper, eh?" challenged Captain Andy as the three scrambled back aboard the motor-boat, and made the little Pill fast astern by its short towrope, while the Aviator bore out of the blue creek, to head upstream toward the town again.