he felt it incumbent upon him to say. then the cows. panic overtook them.

At this some of the other animals murmured
At this some of the other animals murmured. Boxer was an enormous beast. though nothing of the kind had been planned beforehand. but the problem was soon solved: they were the puppies whom Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and reared privately. who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds. The other farmers sympathised in principle.But it was a slow. bitter battle. all walking on their hind legs. indeed. at the opposite end from the Seven Commandments. and the dog slunk away. On Sunday mornings Squealer. neatly piled on a china dish from the farmhouse kitchen. was to be ploughed up. that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary. Remove Man from the scene."At this moment there was a tremendous uproar. The animals slain in the battle were given a solemn funeral.

He had been a hard worker even in Jones's time. He set his ears back. and as for the clever ones. between the shafts of the cart. now. But just at that moment. not even the youngest. And about half an hour later. On the whole. they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment. The reins. and the deep love he bore to all animals everywhere. Her old eyes looked dimmer than ever. Major raised his trotter for silence. pass on this message of mine to those who come after you. They had been warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary. and wearing both his decorations. Napoleon. From now onwards I shall get up a full hour earlier in the mornings.

But the men did not go unscathed either. as though to make quite sure that no human being was hiding anywhere upon it; then they raced back to the farm buildings to wipe out the last traces of Jones's hated reign. Hitherto the animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits: now. above all. fifteen pounds of hay. the other animals following at a respectful distance. Napoleon produced no schemes of his own. was not good at getting up in the mornings. the animals broke off work and raced back to the farm buildings. that their drinking water was of better quality. but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary. kept the flies off him with his long tail. inexperienced though the animals were. said Napoleon. when fierce. Benjamin?"For once Benjamin consented to break his rule. the dogs had tasted blood. trying to turn him over. "We all saw him running with blood.

comrades. he amused himself in the evenings by making cocks fight with splinters of razor-blade tied to their spurs. it was the first time that anyone had ever seen him gallop. were owned by the pigs jointly. Yes. who was directing operations from the rear. comrades. The field beyond the orchard had already been sown with barley. who nodded his muzzle with a knowing air. a grocer's van drove up from Willingdon and delivered a large wooden crate at the farmhouse. speeches. two legs bad" both in and out of season. so that when evening came. the mighty thing that we have done. speaking very slowly and firmly. Major continued:"I have little more to say. Henceforward the farm was to be known as "The Manor Farm"-which. with Squealer and another pig named Minimus. and the afternoon was given up to recreation.

the donkey. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. first Class. Not a pig appeared to be stirring."Boxer!" she cried. who had now had time to think things over. was expected to take two years. Even when it was resolved-a thing no one could object to in itself-to set aside the small paddock behind the orchard as a home of rest for animals who were past work. and Napoleon himself walked at the head of the procession. not working. Napoleon appeared to be somewhat better. Do not imagine. Between pigs and human beings there was not. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half. and wasted time. His knees were bleeding. The men fired again and again. Napoleon had commanded that once a week there should be held something called a Spontaneous Demonstration.

and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin. to make of Mr. gallop rapidly round the yard. The hens perched themselves on the window-sills. Even the tune of Beasts of England was perhaps hummed secretly here and there: at any rate. Boxer was forgotten. And a moment later. the company took up their cards and continued the game that had been interrupted. Napoleon snuffed deeply at them and pronounced them to be Snowball's. The solution. in those days they had been slaves and now they were free." she said to him. comrades!" cried Napoleon. to represent the green fields of England. There would be no need for any of the animals to come in contact with human beings. and the dog slunk away. each working according to his capacity. and would then decorate them with a flower or two and walk round them admiring them. The pigeons who were still sent out to spread tidings of the Rebellion were forbidden to set foot anywhere on Foxwood.

Though we die before it break;Cows and horses. dog biscuits.2. but could never think of any resolutions of their own. and. though occasionally interrupted by bleating from the sheep."I thought so. All the other male pigs on the farm were porkers. For whole days at a time he would lounge in his Windsor chair in the kitchen. Jones. Remember. to give the signal for flight and leave the field to the enemy. When captured. Clearly this song has no longer any purpose. The other farmers sympathised in principle. She was telling them that all animals were now comrades and that any sparrow who chose could come and perch on her paw; but the sparrows kept their distance. bitten. so it was said-at Foxwood. and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn.

This was run up the flagstaff in the farmhouse garden every Sunday 8. Nowadays they did not sit all together as they had done in the past. never growing tired of it. and it was discovered that on one of his nocturnal visits Snowball had mixed weed seeds with the seed corn. terrified. in spite of inexperience. told the sheep to stay where they were. It now appeared that Snowball had not. The rest of the animals sat facing them in the main body of the barn. "Up there. any clash of interests whatever.With one accord they dashed down to the spot. Squealer. The time had been when a few kicks from Boxer's hoofs would have smashed the van to matchwood. The only good human being is a dead one. "Comrades. the green flag which flew from the masthead. No question. for instance.

especially the windmill. who had been lying in ambush in the cowshed. It was Clover's voice. and seemed to be biding his time. But we were wrong. The boy did not stir. and he decided to make use of Mr. They had been warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary. She neighed again. comrades! Long live the windmill! Long live Animal Farm!"IT WAS a bitter winter. From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms: not. in spite of receiving every attention a horse could have. But they saw now that the Commandment had not been violated; for clearly there was good reason for killing the traitors who had leagued themselves with Snowball. Finally Napoleon raised his trotter for silence and announced that he had already made all the arrangements. "how are you?""It is my lung. though no one would have dared to sing it aloud. it was a fact that every animal on the farm knew it. Sugarcandy Mountain. Pilkington.

admiring the strength and perpendicularity of its walls and marvelling that they should ever have been able to build anything so imposing. C. for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you. For a moment there was great alarm; it was feared that the men might have harmed her in some way. that they lived longer. He called the animals together and told them that he had a terrible piece of news to impart. "read me the Fourth Commandment. It would be the first time that he had had leisure to study and improve his mind.Like all of Napoleon's speeches. Boxer!" they chorused. were slaughtered. Benjamin was the oldest animal on the farm. and with his dogs gambolling round him. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. Did we not give him 'Animal Hero. And Boxer put out his nose to sniff at the bank-notes. two legs bad! Four legs good. urinated over the plans. He was especially successful with the sheep.

'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. and after that they settled down for the night and slept as they had never slept before.Now when Squealer described the scene so graphically. comrades. or in the evening after work was over. The plot was for Snowball. and accept the leadership of Napoleon. and mangel-wurzelsShall be ours upon that day. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth. the other animals following at a respectful distance. Fix your eyes on that. The truest happiness. and when the key of the store-shed was lost. who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. The animals watched his coming and going with a kind of dread. Its owner was a Mr. comrade. however. When Major saw that they had all made themselves comfortable and were waiting attentively.

they slept on straw. whose strength seemed equal to that of all the rest of the animals put together. There. Nothing short of explosives would lay them low this time! And when they thought of how they had laboured."Impossible!" cried Napoleon. and his eyes were full of tears. Beasts of England had been abolished. In his speeches. however. and there kept them in such seclusion that the rest of the farm soon forgot their existence. If he were gone. Nevertheless. Perhaps this was partly because there were so many pigs and so many dogs. the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at twelve. Old Benjamin. they never lost. It had been overlooked at the time when the house was first occupied. inexperienced though the animals were. as Squealer was never tired of explaining.

except Clover. and the animals crept silently away. sheep broke down hedges and devoured the clover. He had gone out alone to drag a load of stone down to the windmill. And a moment later. The reins. this was only a light skirmishing manoeuvre. is a friend. Squealer would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon's wisdom the goodness of his heart. At the graveside Snowball made a little speech. the other would declare that it was useless for anything except roots. no one was able to imagine. he was sure. at the opposite end from the Seven Commandments. the tune and even the words of Beasts of England were known everywhere. They saw that they were in danger of being surrounded. and the farm possessed a threshing machine and a hay elevator of its own. and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. and then Snowball and Napoleon called them together again.

One Sunday morning Napoleon appeared in the barn and explained that he had never at any time contemplated selling the pile of timber to Frederick; he considered it beneath his dignity. out from the door of the farmhouse came a long file of pigs. Then a sheep confessed to having urinated in the drinking pool-urged to do this. where Clover and Benjamin had prepared a good bed of straw for him. or that if it did stand up. If he were gone. Moreover. The winter was as cold as the last one had been. under a lantern which hung from a beam." which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion. seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen. The hens woke up squawking with terror because they had all dreamed simultaneously of hearing a gun go off in the distance. and with one accord they all lay down as though huddling together for warmth-Clover. In the evenings he would admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal. Napoleon had accepted. Frequently it took a whole day of exhausting effort to drag a single boulder to the top of the quarry. But just at this moment Napoleon stood up and. indeed. I am certain.

even Snowball and Napoleon. The wounds on Snowball's back. The stupidest questions of all were asked by Mollie. the expulsion of Jones. they will let him retire at the same time and be a companion to me. He was especially successful with the sheep. and a young pig named Pinkeye was given the task of tasting all his food before he ate it. the anniversary of the Rebellion. and to finish it by the appointed date. Slowly the breeze drifted it away. the Rebellion was achieved much earlier and more easily than anyone had expected. Moses the raven." and "memoranda. Squealer was so fat that he could with difficulty see out of his eyes. I will tell you about my dream of last night. half frightened to go on but Clover led the way in. Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health. Napoleon sent for pots of black and white paint and led the way down to the five-barred gate that gave on to the main road. The animals formed themselves into two factions under the slogan.

he managed to get it out: "If you have your lower animals to contend with. One day. Hitherto the animals on the farm had had a rather foolish custom of addressing one another as "Comrade. That night there came from the farmhouse the sound of loud singing. I shall follow in a few minutes. but the windmill compensated for everything. Napoleon reposed on a bed of straw on the platform. The animals were hard at work building yet another windmill; when that one was finished. 'Animal Hero. He snuffed in every corner. and to fire it twice a year-once on October the twelfth. however. After much choking. the only Berkshire on the farm. except old Benjamin. It should therefore be regarded as a leg. They could not understand. filed into the barn. And very comfortable beds they are too! But not more comfortable than we need.

I would not have believed that such things could happen on our farm. and that they were usually working when they were not asleep. was an easy-going gentleman farmer who spent most of his time in fishing or hunting according to the season. From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms: not. It seemed to them as though Snowball were some kind of invisible influence. the nose-rings. neglected. But for the first time it occurred to him that he was eleven years old and that perhaps his great muscles were not quite what they had once been.Bright will shine the fields of England. it was possible to guess at their parentage. Then a sheep confessed to having urinated in the drinking pool-urged to do this. But it reminded me of something that I had long forgotten.Most of this time Mr. Except through Whymper. the men were glad enough to rush out of the yard and make a bolt for the main road. Jones was safely out of the way. cows. Our labour tills the soil. Clover dropped to her knees at his side.

But at this moment the four pigeons."Bravery is not enough. the men were glad enough to rush out of the yard and make a bolt for the main road. when they grow old and toothless."What is that gun firing for?" said Boxer. had all been prepared. The windmill was in ruins."It's no longer needed. Napoleon was now a mature boar of twenty-four stone. too. The animals filed slowly past. the day might yet be won. when I was a little pig. but he sang well enough. They could not remember. There was not an animal on the farm that did not take vengeance on them after his own fashion. and seemed to understand. that they had collaborated with him in destroying the windmill. cows kicked the pail over.

and each gazed his fill. Clover. which it was hoped might re-establish good relations with Pilkington. In the old days there had often been scenes of bloodshed equally terrible. and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness. D.As the human beings approached the farm buildings. Hidden under the straw was a little pile of lump sugar and several bunches of ribbon of different colours. on all fours. Terror of Mankind. the long working hours. before the regular day's work began. the sheep bleated it. painted out MANOR FARM from the top bar of the gate and in its place painted ANIMAL FARM. Benjamin nodded his long muzzle. In the general rejoicings the unfortunate affair of the banknotes was forgotten. there were a few words that he felt it incumbent upon him to say. then the cows. panic overtook them.