and Bluebell had both whelped soon after the hay harvest.

 She would form these very neatly out of pieces of twig
 She would form these very neatly out of pieces of twig. it was felt that the killings which had taken place did not square with this. and. with very round cheeks. and as Napoleon was the only boar on the farm. he said. Jones had been used to wear on Sundays. and she complained of mysterious pains. As soon as they were well inside the yard. G. It was nearly nine o'clock when Squealer made his appearance. the ducks quacked it. Except for Mollie and Snowball.All this while no more had been seen of Snowball. Comrade Napoleon. the animals settled down in the straw.

 although a hard master. to have dealings with scoundrels of that description. wire. She was late for work every morning and excused herself by saying that she had overslept. and all preparations had been made. a contract for four hundred eggs a week. with Snowball at the head of them."Boxer!" she cried. "Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon.But they woke at dawn as usual. this was only a light skirmishing manoeuvre. The seasons came and went. work night and day. had been inflicted by Napoleon's teeth. either Foxwood or Pinchfield. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed.

 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. he amused himself in the evenings by making cocks fight with splinters of razor-blade tied to their spurs. with half a gallon for Napoleon himself. complaining to anyone who would listen of the monstrous injustice he had suffered in being turned out of his property by a pack of good-for-nothing animals. For some time nobody spoke. "That will be attended to. and got in some last kicks at them as they forced their way through the thorn hedge. and after a single singing of Beasts of England. And finally there was a tremendous baying of dogs and a shrill crowing from the black cockerel. between Animal Farm and its neighbours. But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. were owned by the pigs jointly."Meanwhile Frederick and his men had halted about the windmill. After this they went back to the farm buildings. Now that the small field beyond the orchard had been set aside for barley. He would put his snout to the ground.

 as usual. and Napoleon himself walked at the head of the procession. they had begun singing it for themselves. Pilkington of Foxwood or with Mr. that any of the old suspicions still lingered.Late one evening in the summer. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership. She was between the shafts of a smart dogcart painted red and black. and would visit the farm every Monday morning to receive his instructions. or thought they remembered.This had long been expected. Only Napoleon held aloof. comrades. body and soul. a solicitor living in Willingdon. is to work harder. the sheep broke into "Four legs good. the other was certain to demand a bigger acreage of oats."Bravery is not enough."Now. Do you know what the real reason was? Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! He was Jones's secret agent all the time. Frederick of Pinchfield-but never. who had been sent out on the day before. "Gentlemen. As soon as they were weaned.

 When captured. the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed. Finally Napoleon raised his trotter for silence and announced that he had already made all the arrangements. But all such doubts were now dispelled. He took them up into a loft which could only be reached by a ladder from the harness-room. and teach them the tune of Beasts of England. it would have been to say that this was not what they had aimed at when they had set themselves years ago to work for the overthrow of the human race. And." she said. since Boxer's death.Never through me shalt thou come to harm!and this was sung every Sunday morning after the hoisting of the flag. Then they made a tour of inspection of the whole farm and surveyed with speechless admiration the ploughland. Led by three young Black Minorca pullets. were more articulate."Gentlemen." and the others had to be content with this cryptic answer. This was to be the name of the farm from now onwards. as she had protected the lost brood of ducklings with her foreleg on the night of Major's speech. The machinery had still to be installed. now and in the past. His visitors might have observed. But suddenly the dogs sitting round Napoleon let out deep. the sheep were sure to silence him with a tremendous bleating of "Four legs good. though nothing of the kind had been planned beforehand. They had been warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary.

 No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. Jones feeds us. Clover tried to stir her stout limbs to a gallop. although a hard master.Presently the tumult died down. After a few minutes the men were seen to be running in all directions. A little way down the pasture there was a knoll that commanded a view of most of the farm. or has wings. besides supplying every stall with its own electric light. A Mr. The next moment a choking roar of rage sounded from Napoleon's apartments. Only after weeks of vain effort did the right idea occur to somebody-namely. The machinery had still to be installed. comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. Terror of Mankind. Some progress was made in the dry frosty weather that followed. how excellent this water tastes!" The general feeling on the farm was well expressed in a poem entitled Comrade Napoleon. She was seen one day sitting on a roof and talking to some sparrows who were just out of her reach. as the animals had previously imagined. he said. In the autumn the four sows had all littered about simultaneously. quick!" he shouted. and a whole flock of geese and hens-everyone. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. Starvation seemed to stare them in the face.

 to shatter to pieces below. Not one of them. had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. in the henhouses. All animals should go naked. speaking very slowly and firmly. He had made an arrangement with one of the cockerels to call him in the mornings half an hour earlier than anyone else. especially the windmill.Like all of Napoleon's speeches. though no one would have dared to sing it aloud. Comrade Napoleon. Snowball launched his first attack. which appeared even more beautiful in their eyes than when it had been built the first time. C. inexperienced though the animals were. when the terror caused by the executions had died down. He seldom talked. He repeated a number of times. It was soon noticed that when there was work to be done the cat could never be found. he said. he said. Too amazed and frightened to speak. I dislike them myself. no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. The flag was green.

 At a moment when the opening was clear.It was just after the sheep had returned. The attempt to tame the wild creatures. his face deadly pale. He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension. Slowly the breeze drifted it away. with half a dozen others from Foxwood and Pinchfield. Napoleon. towards the end of January it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere. Never to have any dealings with human beings. with two ounces of corn for each bird and three biscuits for each dog. The men fired again and again. She appeared to be enjoying herself.Ere he had grown as bigEven as a pint bottle or as a rolling-pin. he said. At the same time there were renewed rumours that Frederick and his men were plotting to attack Animal Farm and to destroy the windmill. but this time they did not have the easy victory that they had had in the Battle of the Cowshed." he said. then. and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever. And we had worked on it for two years!""What matter? We will build another windmill. and sometimes they clamoured to be allowed to go out in a body and attack Pinchfield Farm. the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters. hunters refused their fences and shot their riders on to the other side. As his last act upon earth.

 Frederick and his men might make their long-expected attack at any moment. It was just then that Mr. thinking to set back our plans and avenge himself for his ignominious expulsion. Almost immediately the footprints of a pig were discovered in the grass at a little distance from the knoll. In the morning the animals came out of their stalls to find that the flagstaff had been blown down and an elm tree at the foot of the orchard had been plucked up like a radish. I do not think. Remember. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed. but perhaps with a certain measure of misgiving. never criticising. There. with the money at his side. croaking loudly.The pigs had set aside the harness-room as a headquarters for themselves." cried Snowball. I would not have believed that such things could happen on our farm. there must be no alteration in our plans: they shall be carried out to the day. but with perfect balance. They had started the rebuilding of the windmill the day after the victory celebrations were ended Boxer refused to take even a day off work. then they capitulated and went back to their nesting boxes. I could show you this in his own writing. For example. They were still the only farm in the whole county-in all England!-owned and operated by animals. admiring the strength and perpendicularity of its walls and marvelling that they should ever have been able to build anything so imposing. The seasons came and went.

 which saved a lot of labour on the upkeep of hedges and gates.In April. had not after all been used for generating electrical power. clever or simple. perfect comradeship in the struggle." seemed to him a sufficient answer to all problems. Finally he decided to be content with the first four letters. Now that Snowball was out of the way. Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon. though she lacked the words to express them. one of them bearing a scrap of paper from Pilkington. terrible stories were leaking out from Pinchfield about the cruelties that Frederick practised upon his animals. Without saying anything. passed on by word of mouth. it might even be necessary to reduce their rations. This was a wickedness far outdoing Snowball's destruction of the windmill. speeches. That was how the mistake had arisen." said Boxer.All must toil for freedom's sake. were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons on their tails on Sundays. the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at twelve. quicker in speech and more inventive. With some difficulty (for it is not easy for a pig to balance himself on a ladder) Snowball climbed up and set to work. his mug in his hand.

 I will sing you that song now.They had won. the horses whinnied it. under the superintendence of the pigs. we should starve to death. but they were promptly silenced by a tremendous growling from the dogs. They all remembered. "It does not matter. including the windmill. the whole farm burst out into Beasts of England in tremendous unison. But alas! his strength had left him; and in a few moments the sound of drumming hoofs grew fainter and died away." he said. Then he was up again. trembling. When they were all gathered together. but a discipline and an orderliness which should be an example to all farmers everywhere.4. Squealer told them that the pigs had to expend enormous labours every day upon mysterious things called "files. We will teach this miserable traitor that he cannot undo our work so easily. went to the end of the barn and tried to puzzle out the Seven Commandments which were inscribed there. And yet. who was elected unanimously. This would light the stalls and warm them in winter. Huge boulders. Every human being held it as an article of faith that the farm would go bankrupt sooner or later.

 Boxer would even come out at nights and work for an hour or two on his own by the light of the harvest moon. With his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings. The importance of keeping the pigs in good health was all too obvious. After the horses came Muriel. one of them bearing a scrap of paper from Pilkington. and had taken to drinking more than was good for him. though they were only conducted through Whymper. hardship. and plenty of sand and cement had been found in one of the outhouses. There were only four dissentients. his voice was hoarse. The distinguishing mark of man is the hand. comrade. Pilkington. but he sang well enough. and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades. in the vegetable garden. "gentlemen.By the autumn the animals were tired but happy. At the last moment Mollie. At first they pretended to laugh to scorn the idea of animals managing a farm for themselves." said Boxer sorrowfully. When the animals had assembled in the big barn. in spite of the hardness of their work. But just at that moment.

 or smoke tobacco. had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. however. not even the youngest. what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable. The importance of keeping the pigs in good health was all too obvious. as it turned out. You young porkers who are sitting in front of me. he said-and. We will teach this miserable traitor that he cannot undo our work so easily. Of late the sheep had taken to bleating "Four legs good. give several deep sniffs. scrap-iron. The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting." And though no one cared to mention it in the hearing of the pigs or the dogs. It is called Beasts of England. he trampled the seedbeds. And Boxer put out his nose to sniff at the bank-notes. at the critical moment. 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. There. Mr. and the like.Most of this time Mr. she went to Mollie's stall and turned over the straw with her hoof.

 "Under the guidance of our Leader. not even Frederick. which was called Pinchfield. was as it had always been." "minutes. However. and finally squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clover; there she purred contentedly throughout Major's speech without listening to a word of what he was saying. Jones's especial pet. But as the animals outside gazed at the scene. The two with the hammer and the crowbar were drilling a hole near the base of the windmill. Boxer was the admiration of everybody. when he braced his muscles against the weight of some vast boulder."Mollie! Look me in the face. Two whole days were given over to celebrations. a violent quarrel was in progress. and lanterns in the stalls were forbidden to save Oil. The execution of the traitors this afternoon was the final act. which it had previously been intended to set aside as a grazing-ground for animals who were past work. His eyes were glazed. Jones looked out of the bedroom window. the animals were stricken with curiosity. not even human life. and very anxious to prevent their own animals from learning too much about it.MR. morning.

 Squealer came to announce the news to the others. Napoleon was so gratified that he left his place and came round the table to clink his mug against Mr. and promptly sat down again; he had spoken for barely thirty seconds. Her coat was newly clipped and she wore a scarlet ribbon round her forelock. He had. and the word went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whisky. comrades. There lay Boxer. reduced in December. The pigs did not actually work. but by the time he knew them. He would perch on a stump. with half a dozen others from Foxwood and Pinchfield. It was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions. tactics!" skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. they were far better off than they had been in the days of Jones. Boxer.The farm was more prosperous now.Silent and terrified. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. the sheep dragged single blocks. And when the others came back from looking for her. any clash of interests whatever. A unanimous resolution was passed on the spot that the farmhouse should be preserved as a museum. however.

 Pilkington; he was also going to enter into a regular agreement for the exchange of certain products between Animal Farm and Foxwood.With one accord they dashed down to the spot. It was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions."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. two legs better! Four legs good. it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations (Squealer always spoke of it as a "readjustment. for instance.This had long been expected. how many thousands of gallons of milk have you given during this last year? And what has happened to that milk which should have been breeding up sturdy calves? Every drop of it has gone down the throats of our enemies. the others found that she had remained behind in the best bedroom.Hearken to my joyful tidingsOf the golden future time. For days at a time the animals had nothing to eat but chaff and mangels. he said. Someone said it was the smell of cooking barley. which had become overgrown with birch saplings. "Long live Comrade Napoleon! " Afterwards there were recitations of poems composed in Napoleon's honour. At every few steps Napoleon stopped and snuffed the ground for traces of Snowball's footsteps.A week later. and he looked forward to the peaceful days that he would spend in the corner of the big pasture. I had known that tune in my infancy. "Snowball! He has been here! I can smell him distinctly!" and at the word "Snowball" all the dogs let out blood-curdling growls and showed their side teeth. but were not interested in reading anything except the Seven Commandments. It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash. The advantage of only having to feed themselves. It happened that Jessie and Bluebell had both whelped soon after the hay harvest.