but redhead whispered and nudged tom about how shabby it would look to reneague the adventure . so he asked him which way he was to go , and redhead directed him through a street where a great many bad women lived , and a great many shibbeen houses were open , and away he set . well , he travelled and travelled till he came in sight of the walls of hell ; and , bedad , before he knocked at the gates , he rubbed himself over with the greenish ointment . when he knocked a hundred little imps popped their heads out through the bars , and axed him what he wanted . " i want to speak to the big divel of all , " says tom : " open the gate . " it was n't long till the gate was thrune open , and the ould boy received tom with bows and scrapes , and axed his business . " my business is n't much , " says tom . " i only came for the loan of that flail that i see hanging on the collar - beam for the king of dublin to give a thrashing to the danes . " " well , " says the other , " the danes is much better customers to me . but , since you walked so far , i wo n't refuse . hand that flail , " says he to a young imp . he winked the far - off eye at the same time . so while some were barring the gates , the young devil climbed up and took down the iron flail that had the handstaff and booltheen both made out of red - hot iron . the little vagabond was grinning to think how it would burn the hands off of tom , but the dickens a burn it made on him , no more nor if it was a good oak sapling . " thankee , " says tom ; " now would you open the gate for a body and i 'll give you no more trouble . " " oh , tramp ! " says ould nick , " is that the way ? it is easier getting inside them gates than getting out again . take that tool from him , and give him a dose of the oil of stirrup . " so one fellow put out his claws to seize on the flail , but tom gave him such a welt of it on the side of his head that he broke off one of his horns , and made him roar like a divel as he was . well , they rushed at tom , but he gave them , little and big , such a thrashing as they did n't forget for a while . at last says the ould thief of all , rubbing his elbows , " let the fool out ; and woe to whoever lets him in again , great or small . " so out marched tom and away with him , without minding the shouting and cursing they kept up at him from the tops of the walls . and when he got home to the big bawn of the palace , there never was such running and racing as to see himself and the flail . 
he wanted the imp to trick tom .
why did the ould boy wink at the young imp ?
why did the ould boy wink at the young imp ?