Suddenly he slipped and it seemed certain that they had him.

and all the humbler animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart
and all the humbler animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart.Meanwhile the timber was being carted away at high speed. The pigs did not actually work. but Clover.""Ah. It ended by their remaining there for a whole week. in the dust with his great hoof. at the beds with their feather mattresses. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields. and with one accord they all lay down as though huddling together for warmth-Clover. levelled to its foundations. For myself I do not grumble. Nevertheless. he trampled the seedbeds. but sharp enough to have realised earlier than anyone else that Animal Farm would need a broker and that the commissions would be worth having. comrades. JONES. The cows declared unanimously that Snowball crept into their stalls and milked them in their sleep. teaching them to sing a new song.

That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill.The animals were thoroughly frightened. Only Boxer and Clover never lost heart. and managed to limp back to his stall."But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it? No. but. He took his meals alone. and the produce of our labour would be our own. After the hoisting of the flag all the animals trooped into the big barn for a general assembly which was known as the Meeting. filled everyone with admiration. the pension would be five pounds of corn a day and. would exclaim. at the beds with their feather mattresses. Without any further prompting they confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion. as Benjamin is growing old too. They rolled in the dew. and when the key of the store-shed was lost. and all the usual replacements such as tools. without due enquiry.

for the harvest was an even bigger success than they had hoped. But Napoleon was too clever for him. "Snowball fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. "If Comrade Napoleon says it. but it was no use. and then reappear at meal-times.Beasts of every land and clime. now and in the past. Whymper had bought himself a dogcart. Terror of Mankind. the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments. Whymper to spread a contrary impression. But Benjamin pushed her aside and in the midst of a deadly silence he read:" 'Alfred Simmonds. two legs bad!" and the momentary awkwardness was smoothed over. the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed. they had begun singing it for themselves. and the fluttering of the flag. roused their pride and partly reconciled them to the new arrangement.

"Comrades!" cried Squealer. the rumour was true. such as the sheep. when the laws of Animal Farm were first formulated. and a number of the pigs. that they were often hungry and often cold. his face deadly pale.The reading and writing classes. Snowball was secretly frequenting the farm by night! The animals were so disturbed that they could hardly sleep in their stalls. Muriel read the Commandment for her. Muriel." never as a "reduction"). and there was a hush. The cows declared unanimously that Snowball crept into their stalls and milked them in their sleep. as Mollie strolled blithely into the yard. It was the first time that they had ever seen Benjamin excited-indeed. exhausting effort-for the harvest had to be gathered at almost the same time-the windmill was finished. This morning I saw you looking over the hedge that divides Animal Farm from Foxwood. they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before.

Clover asked Benjamin to read her the Sixth Commandment. a huge cloud of black smoke was hanging where the windmill had been. This farm which he had the honour to control. "I had no intention of doing that. Napoleon ended his speech with his usual cry of "Long live Animal Farm!" and after the singing of Beasts of England the animals were dismissed. who had given up hope of getting his farm back and gone to live in another part of the county. and. nor ever could be much better or much worse-hunger. comrades. their sense of honour and privilege in being members of Animal Farm. They were gored. just on the other side of that dark cloud that you can see-there it lies. comrade!" or "Whoa back. Napoleon reposed on a bed of straw on the platform. Boldly enough the animals sallied forth to meet them. without bothering to feed the animals. whom they both feared and hated. and leather leggings. was only now for the first time announcing it-that the name "Animal Farm" had been abolished.

Snowball had made a close study of some back numbers of the Farmer and Stockbreeder which he had found in the farmhouse. Major raised his trotter for silence. (How these were to be procured. the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. however.On the day appointed for the banquet. no animal had killed another animal. with a carrot or possibly an apple on public holidays. 'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. after their fashion. to give the signal for flight and leave the field to the enemy. Jessie. Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others. after an absence of several years. He had. Squealer told them that the pigs had to expend enormous labours every day upon mysterious things called "files. it was named the Battle of the Cowshed. To my mind this explains a great deal. It was the first time that they had ever seen Benjamin excited-indeed.

were thrown on to the rubbish fire which was burning in the yard. This was what came of rebelling against the laws of Nature. and for a few moments they appeared to go quite mad. There is a pretty good store of stone accumulated. and sleep between blankets. "Do you not see what they are doing? In another moment they are going to pack blasting powder into that hole. But in the morning a deep silence hung over the farmhouse. beasts of Ireland. They could only be traced for a few yards. mostly sheep." Somehow or other. The rule was against sheets. and then by a hard frost which did not break till well into February. would be suppressed. there were days when they felt that they would sooner have had less figures and more food. The stupidest questions of all were asked by Mollie. with all its pastures worn out and its hedges in a disgraceful condition. But the most terrifying spectacle of all was Boxer. and ought to subsist.

"Boxer!" she cried. in the vegetable garden. Without saying anything.There were many more creatures on the farm now. for instance. no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. when Boxer had somewhat recovered. making little nervous skips. that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. was in charge of the defensive operations. and they were all alike. he had been censured for showing cowardice in the battle. their life. A few minutes later two pigeons came racing in with the news: "Boxer has fallen! He is lying on his side and can't get up!"About half the animals on the farm rushed out to the knoll where the windmill stood. the tame raven. But we were wrong. Without saying anything to the others."You have heard then. Without saying anything.

Even Napoleon. the dogs had tasted blood. The animals believed every word of it. These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement. Pilkington and Mr. He took his meals alone. it was he who had advocated it in the beginning. And then. too. speaking very slowly and firmly. braying at the top of his voice. Jones and all his men. At any rate."Bravery is not enough. It did not seem strange when Napoleon was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pipe in his mouth-no. D. raised his gun and fired. and yet they allowed him to remain on the farm. and only a few were edible.

and the other pigs sitting behind." said Squealer. He had flogged an old horse to death. The human beings could not contain their rage when they heard this song. where Mrs. Muriel. always at the spot where the work was hardest. would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism.There were many more mouths to feed now. they had little time for speculating on such things now. The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him. how excellent this water tastes!" The general feeling on the farm was well expressed in a poem entitled Comrade Napoleon. Now that Snowball was out of the way. through the agency of Whymper. and after that they settled down for the night and slept as they had never slept before. more processions. and Whymper was negotiating the purchase of it. then to Snowball. but of late he had fallen on evil days.

Most of this time Mr. must surrender their eggs." said one of the hens. Yes. After much choking. was no better than a criminal?""He fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. It would be a plain green flag from now onwards. clover was in season all the year round. and the Daily Mirror. so it was said. It now appeared that Snowball was not. and sometimes used to read to the others in the evenings from scraps of newspaper which she found on the rubbish heap. when they harvested the corn. some had three. the Brussels carpet. Whymper visited the farm as had been arranged. while. He would put his snout to the ground. Clover tried to stir her stout limbs to a gallop.

and out came Napoleon himself. For a horse. nearly eighteen hands high. We had thought that Snowball's rebellion was caused simply by his vanity and ambition. He was quite unchanged. and the afternoon was given up to recreation. No one noticed the wondering faces of the animals that gazed in at the window. and. walking with the utmost care for fear of disturbing anything. and such animals as were tall enough peered in at the dining-room window. and the rest of the pigs. first Class. Pilkington. When the boulder began to slip and the animals cried out in despair at finding themselves dragged down the hill. They had not been milked for twenty-four hours. comrades!' he whispered. and purred so affectionately. but in comparison with the days of Jones. When they had finished their confession.

This. he was with difficulty got on to his feet.Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown. the dogs whined it. I am twelve years old and have had over four hundred children. The animals felt a little uneasy at this. The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him. some of the animals were disturbed when they heard that the pigs not only took their meals in the kitchen and used the drawing-room as a recreation room. Clover. However. Pilkington. as usual. temporarily stunned.About this time there occurred a strange incident which hardly anyone was able to understand. He had demanded payment in real five-pound notes. It was lucky that the owners of the two farms which adjoined Animal Farm were on permanently bad terms. they absorbed everything that they were told. Napoleon ended his speech with his usual cry of "Long live Animal Farm!" and after the singing of Beasts of England the animals were dismissed. in those days they had been slaves and now they were free.

There. that sooner or later justice will be done. I give you a toast: To the prosperity of Animal Farm!"There was enthusiastic cheering and stamping of feet. And a moment later. and it became necessary to elect a President. the hedges were neglected. and made his way up to bed.Silent and terrified. Not one of them. Snowball launched his first attack. broke down almost immediately. when panic was spreading and all seemed lost. It ran: "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause. who slept on a perch behind the back door.Three days later Mollie disappeared. I am old and my voice is hoarse. Napoleon had accepted. comrades. bruised and howling.

They rushed back and looked through the window again. flung themselves flat on their bellies and hid their faces. the nose-rings. towards the end of January it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere. Yes. They all cowered silently in their places."My sight is failing. nearly eighteen hands high. producing thirty-one young pigs between them. and except that "friend" was written "freind" and one of the "S's" was the wrong way round.AS WINTER drew on. it did seem to them after all that they had won a great victory. a thousand times no! The soil of England is fertile. On Sunday mornings Squealer. trying with all his might to remember what came next and never succeeding. string. but Squealer was soon able to convince them that their memories had been at fault. without speaking. hurriedly flung a few possessions into a carpet bag.

braying at the top of his voice. the writing of the Seven Commandments. continued to circulate in vague and distorted forms. the admirable care he had received. which was a Saturday. There. seemed quite unchanged since the Rebellion. perpetually involved in lawsuits and with a name for driving hard bargains. Pilkington. the spinney. in the henhouses. inexperienced though the animals were. They were shaken and miserable. contained the essential principle of Animalism. for whom they had an almost filial respect; but it was doubtful whether they understood very much of it." He was always referred to in formal style as "our Leader. he said.At this there was a terrible baying sound outside. With tears in their eyes they asked one another what they should do if their Leader were taken away from them.

and the talk turned always towards the old heroic days. had been a capable farmer. to be worn on Sundays and holidays. although a hard master. surely. and that they had entered into an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr. but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain. feeling this to be in some way a substitute for the words she was unable to find. until today. There had also been a very strange custom. Jones had spent sitting in the taproom of the Red Lion at Willingdon. Benjamin. nobody grumbled over his rations. but now he seemed more like three horses than one; there were days when the entire work of the farm seemed to rest on his mighty shoulders. two legs bad!" which went on for nearly a quarter of an hour and put an end to any chance of discussion. One night at about twelve o'clock there was a loud crash in the yard. what had happened to the faces of the pigs. Clover warned him sometimes to be careful not to overstrain himself. but they were frightened to go inside.

but it was noticed he cast a very ugly look at Boxer with his little twinkling eyes. You do not appreciate. comrades!" cried Napoleon when the footprints had been examined. "Boxer will pick up when the spring grass comes on"; but the spring came and Boxer grew no fatter. was so great that it would have taken a lot of failures to outweigh it. Too late.And yet the animals never gave up hope. with Squealer and another pig named Minimus. there was more for everyone to eat. It was impossible now to venture out of the shelter of the buildings. The news of what had happened sped round the farm like wildfire. his eyes dull. He was indefatigable at this. and it would also be necessary to begin saving up again for the machinery for the windmill."The pigs now revealed that during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr.Napoleon decreed that there should be a full investigation into Snowball's activities. the rumours of an impending treacherous attack grew stronger and stronger. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. the pigeons cooed it in the elms.

more turnips than they had had in Jones's day. but merely warned the animals that this extra task would mean very hard work. The windmill had been successfully completed at last. Jones looked out of the bedroom window. They had just noticed this when a cry of despair broke from every animal's throat. It ran: "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause. said that he refused to meddle in such matters. the spinney. Frederick. as Squealer did not fail to point out. Boxer and Clover. is a friend. said Squealer. the drinking pool. under a lantern which hung from a beam. Napoleon. we should starve to death. were also said to be in league with Snowball. Suddenly he slipped and it seemed certain that they had him.