The winter was as cold as the last one had been.

Sentinels were placed at all the approaches to the farm
Sentinels were placed at all the approaches to the farm. His visitors might have observed. "Beasts of England was the song of the Rebellion. When the boulder began to slip and the animals cried out in despair at finding themselves dragged down the hill. were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased. The cat joined the Re-education Committee and was very active in it for some days. All the same. and various others. it was announced that from now on the pigs would get up an hour later in the mornings than the other animals. Squealer would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon's wisdom the goodness of his heart. above all. Sentinels were placed at all the approaches to the farm. was smaller and better kept. and a whole flock of geese and hens-everyone."So the animals trooped down to the hayfield to begin the harvest. I have laid five eggs in six days"; or two cows. The only good human being is a dead one. tactics!" skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. Jones would come back! Surely.

Only old Benjamin was much the same as ever. The news of what had happened sped round the farm like wildfire. he said. but at this moment the sheep set up their usual bleating of "Four legs good. But I will come to the dream later. And by the time the sheep had quieted down. where Mrs. Napoleon. Their relations with the human race were now not quite the same as they had been before. after all. someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it. and before I die. So far as he knew. Napoleon took them away from their mothers. huddling together. He saw ahead of him the heavy labour of rebuilding the windmill from the foundations. Even the horses and the dogs have no better fate. Meanwhile the animals had chased Jones and his men out on to the road and slammed the five-barred gate behind them. The earth was like iron.

But there were also rumours of something more serious. No question. he said finally. Jones was asleep. The attempt to tame the wild creatures. hens. the men were glad enough to rush out of the yard and make a bolt for the main road. Squealer was with them for the greater part of every day." said Squealer stiffly. comrades. And the behaviour of the cat was somewhat peculiar.For the next two days Boxer remained in his stall.Napoleon himself appeared at the meeting on the following Sunday morning and pronounced a short oration in Boxer's honour. while his favourite sow appeared in the watered silk dress which Mrs. At this some of the other animals murmured. drawing in line after line and uttering little whimpers of excitement. and after a single singing of Beasts of England. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance. on a sort of raised platform.

Squealer came to announce the news to the others. Muriel. was shown in the fact that he trusted nobody. and the afternoon was given up to recreation. in the late afternoon. whatever the appearances might be. where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water. and the afternoon was given up to recreation. And in a few days' time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in Boxer's honour.June came and the hay was almost ready for cutting. with the dogs following him. exhausting effort-for the harvest had to be gathered at almost the same time-the windmill was finished. 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. he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving. the uproar awoke Mr.As they approached the farm Squealer. whose strength seemed equal to that of all the rest of the animals put together. the three dogs and the cat. who had been lying in ambush in the cowshed.

it was felt that the killings which had taken place did not square with this. sometimes shaking his forelock. This work was strictly voluntary. but he was also a clever talker. levelled to its foundations. mistaken ideas had been current. Even so. he added. and brought in a handsome money profit. could operate threshing machines. intimated that he too had a few words to say. with two dogs to wait upon him. had locked the hen-houses for the night. carpentering. a mangel-slicer. Until now the animals had been about equally divided in their sympathies. far too big to be used as they were. because no animal could stand on his hind legs. Nevertheless.

The advantage of only having to feed themselves. One day. We are born. Some day it was coming: it might not be soon. the expulsion of Jones.The farm was more prosperous now. The building of the windmill. caught a dog in mid-air. with a few inches to spare. There were shoutings. and then reappear at meal-times. Muriel. Breakfast was an hour later than usual. were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons on their tails on Sundays. The stupidest questions of all were asked by Mollie. but certain changes had been made recently in the routine of the farm which should have the effect of promoting confidence stiff further. never shirking and never volunteering for extra work either. saw what was happening. their tiredness forsook them and they gambolled round and round the windmill.

and she complained of mysterious pains. except Jones. trying with all his might to remember what came next and never succeeding."Comrades. The rule was against sheets.Meanwhile life was hard."It was the most affecting sight I have ever seen!" said Squealer. and not for a pack of idle. and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. It would be the first time that he had had leisure to study and improve his mind. iron discipline! That is the watchword for today. tactics!" skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at. besides various tools and. the dogs had tasted blood. Pilkington." he said. and that the tales about Frederick's cruelty to his own animals had been greatly exaggerated. his face deadly pale.

Did we not see for ourselves how he attempted-fortunately without success-to get us defeated and destroyed at the Battle of the Cowshed?"The animals were stupefied.However. There were shoutings. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. it was gone; almost the last trace of their labour was gone! Even the foundations were partially destroyed. the tame raven. The pile of timber was still unsold.All through that summer the work of the farm went like clockwork. No argument must lead you astray.He should have learned to beFaithful and true to thee. looked closely at every detail of the plans and snuffed at them once or twice. he would say only "Donkeys live a long time. Some day it was coming: it might not be soon. or thought they remembered. as the case might be. beans. it was said. The two with the hammer and the crowbar were drilling a hole near the base of the windmill. and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon's papers.

Do not imagine. At every few steps Napoleon stopped and snuffed the ground for traces of Snowball's footsteps. and then reappear at meal-times.Then they filed back to the farm buildings and halted in silence outside the door of the farmhouse.There were many more mouths to feed now. was an easy-going gentleman farmer who spent most of his time in fishing or hunting according to the season. it was the biggest harvest that the farm had ever seen. "I will work harder" and "Comrade Napoleon is always right"-maxims. Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler. Today he and his friends had visited Animal Farm and inspected every inch of it with their own eyes. and the expensive medicines for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost. The cat joined the Re-education Committee and was very active in it for some days. and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive. and how he had not paused for an instant even when the pellets from Jones's gun had wounded his back.Early in October. except for the pigs and dogs. and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness. If one of them suggested sowing a bigger acreage with barley. the mighty thing that we have done.

When Mr. But we were wrong. Even the hens and ducks came. and they often interrupted the Meeting with this.""I have no wish to take life." which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion. It is called Beasts of England. Second Class. he whispered in my ear that his sole sorrow was to have passed on before the windmill was finished. except those of the pigs and the dogs. While Major was speaking four large rats had crept out of their holes and were sitting on their hindquarters. Pre-eminent among the pigs were two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon. But the most terrifying spectacle of all was Boxer. and mangel-wurzelsShall be ours upon that day. running faster than ever. who stood on two legs. neatly piled on a china dish from the farmhouse kitchen." said Squealer stiffly. and seemed to understand.

There were more songs. Frequently he did not even appear on Sunday mornings. Pilkington and Mr. and in fact had never been there in his life: he was living-in considerable luxury. If one of them suggested sowing a bigger acreage with barley. This very morning we begin rebuilding the windmill. 'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. He seized the gun which always stood in a corner of his bedroom. He talked learnedly about field drains. In the evenings he would admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal. Napoleon had really been in secret agreement with Frederick. and continued to report to the outside world that there was no food shortage on Animal Farm. Too many farmers had assumed. who were the brains of the farm. As he had said. After much choking. that the pigs. Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler. especially as they could no longer remember very clearly what conditions had been like before the Rebellion.

three hundred per cent. and. above all. and various new buildings had been added to it. and all the usual replacements such as tools. Napoleon himself occupying the seat of honour at the head of the table. Jones will sell you to the knacker. well aware that everything that they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them. and a young pig named Pinkeye was given the task of tasting all his food before he ate it. So were the whips. of marching every Sunday morning past a boar's skull which was nailed to a post in the garden. The animals now also learned that Snowball had never-as many of them had believed hitherto-received the order of "Animal Hero7 First Class.One Sunday morning Squealer announced that the hens. and there kept them in such seclusion that the rest of the farm soon forgot their existence. they had no reason for thinking that it would be within their own lifetime. the buildings wanted roofing. then the sheep who had been killed was given a solemn funeral. Jones and all his men. Unable at first to speak.

"Here Squealer's demeanour suddenly changed. He looked round. where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water. while his favourite sow appeared in the watered silk dress which Mrs. and it was known that there was a supply of cartridges in the farmhouse. and all the humbler animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart. would exclaim. "Under the guidance of our Leader. had already recovered and made off. The sheep spent the whole day there browsing at the leaves under Squealer's supervision. Such were her thoughts. This arrangement would have worked well enough if it had not been for the disputes between Snowball and Napoleon. was shown in the fact that he trusted nobody. in the barn. because no animal could stand on his hind legs. and even now they could hardly believe that it was all their own. but with a reputation for getting his own way."And remember."Boxer!" cried Clover in a terrible voice.

was not good at getting up in the mornings. while Benjamin turned around and lashed at them with his small hoofs. Between pigs and human beings there was not. of the Manor Farm. Boxer was the admiration of everybody. comrades. a solicitor living in Willingdon. Jones will sell you to the knacker. in spite of receiving every attention a horse could have. G. of whatever degree. which meant collecting much larger quantities of stone. what have you ever had except your bare rations and a stall?"And even the miserable lives we lead are not allowed to reach their natural span. Finally he said:"I do not understand it. When asked whether he was not happier now that Jones was gone. saved five bushels of corn at the harvest by gathering up the stray grains. the words of the song also came back-words. TWO LEGS BAD. tell them the story of the Rebellion.

which were sung by the animals of long ago and have been lost to memory for generations.Most of this time Mr."Ribbons." In the late summer yet another of Snowball's machinations was laid bare. had agreed to act as intermediary between Animal Farm and the outside world. to the number of thirty-five. On it was pencilled the words: "Serves you right. was so great that it would have taken a lot of failures to outweigh it. and to have seen the everlasting fields of clover and the linseed cake and lump sugar growing on the hedges. The dogs flanked the procession and at the head of all marched Napoleon's black cockerel. They had also dropped their championship of Jones. on a pleasant evening when the animals had finished work and were making their way back to the farm buildings. Whymper heard nothing of this affair.All this while no more had been seen of Snowball. but the structure was completed. who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal. tell them the story of the Rebellion. Muriel. Our labour tills the soil.

And the fruitful fields of EnglandShall be trod by beasts alone. that their drinking water was of better quality. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"The vote was taken at once. First Class. Without saying anything. And Boxer's stall was empty. which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs. with half a dozen guns between them. and with a hard effort managed to formulate his thoughts.It was a few days later than this that the pigs came upon a case of whisky in the cellars of the farmhouse. I could show you this in his own writing." he said. beasts of Ireland. out from the door of the farmhouse came a long file of pigs. sheep. now and in the past. he had been censured for showing cowardice in the battle. He stole the corn. The animals were happy as they had never conceived it possible to be.

when panic was spreading and all seemed lost. Benjamin."Comrade. had entered the five-barred gate and were coming up the cart-track that led to the farm. braying at the top of his voice. At the sight. and how many of those eggs ever hatched into chickens? The rest have all gone to market to bring in money for Jones and his men. the other animals following at a respectful distance. Too many farmers had assumed. the writing of the Seven Commandments. they had begun singing it for themselves. temporarily stunned. against their will. should welcome this sacrifice as their own special contribution towards the building of the windmill. and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon. he said. The sight of their dead comrades stretched upon the grass moved some of them to tears. The animals found the problem insoluble; in any case. Boxer passed it off as usual with "Napoleon is always right!".

"Loyalty and obedience are more important. "That will be attended to. Our labour tills the soil. One of them. it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations (Squealer always spoke of it as a "readjustment. was in the hands of the enemy. even in defence of their own interests. but had not believed that it would really happen. These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible. the orchard. The van began to gather speed. what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them. he said. was happy that the period of misunderstanding was at an end. hearing in it a prophecy of their future doom. the pool. With the worthless parasitical human beings gone. in those days they had been slaves and now they were free. As usual.

the tame raven. Snowball now gave the signal for the charge. There was need of paraffin oil. and. the remaining animals. The birds jumped on to their perches. At the last moment Mollie. The early apples were now ripening. Napoleon was hesitating between the two. As his last act upon earth. geese and turkeys. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth. what difference does it make whether we work for it or not?". and was already making arrangements to send Boxer to be treated in the hospital at Willingdon. what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them. 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. Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw. It was uncertain whether Boxer had understood what Clover had said. The winter was as cold as the last one had been.