"Now," he said, as the hand began its swinging arc again.
They ran forward toward the creature's single eye with the stake.
Charlie barely remembered the contact, or the bath of eye-fluid and blood which followed, or the wild roaring of the brute creature, or its frantic charging back and forth, blinded, across the cave, while the flock bleated and stampeded. After a while the crazed Cyclops ran to the cave entrance and shouldered the great door-rock aside, rushing out into the day.
It went tearing down the slope and did not stop until, battered and bleeding, it reached the sea. It stood on the narrow strand of beach for a moment, scooping great handfuls of water for its stricken eye. Then it plunged into the surf.
They went outside and watched it. They made their way down the slope while it advanced into the sea. Finally only the great head remained above the waves.
They reached the shore.
The Cyclops was gone.
Moments later, Captain Purcell and the others joined them.