Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

As Peter and Sir Tode head toward the raven’s nest, Peter grows frustrated by Sir Tode’s apparent nonchalance in the face of deadly peril. They approach what looks like a deserted campsite, but Peter hears heartbeats. He calls into the darkness: “Blinded and binded in whitest yarn, / Here comes Peter Nimble, who means no harm!” (133). At once, five prisoners—Patch, Clipper, Cough, Bogie, and Twiddlesticks—crawl out of the sand. They offer Peter and Sir Tode food while explaining life in the Just Deserts: Prisoners are free to roam about at night, but forbidden from showing their faces during the day. The men complain that the ravens have stolen all their possessions, although they imply that their sins are so grievous, they are lucky the ravens allow them to live at all.

Seeing how thirsty the men are, Peter offers them the wineskin in exchange for help stealing back the eyes. They agree, and the motley crew sets out toward the raven’s Nest, Sir Tode riding in Peter’s sack (much to his consternation). They finally arrive at the Nest, a massive tower built out of the wreckage of old boats. As they prepare to sneak into the highest part of the tower, Peter cannot see that the thieves are conspiring to betray him.