silently in their places. between Animal Farm and its neighbours.

 All the pigs were in full agreement on this point
 All the pigs were in full agreement on this point. and was full of plans for innovations and improvements. This work was strictly voluntary. The early apples were now ripening. Jones had spent sitting in the taproom of the Red Lion at Willingdon. but I know. Boxer's twelfth birthday was due in the late summer of the following year. silage. is a friend. C. I shall follow in a few minutes. was stroking her nose and feeding her with sugar. For the time being. You do not appreciate. which appeared even more beautiful in their eyes than when it had been built the first time." and this pigs liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals. seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen. His knees were bleeding. They had not been milked for twenty-four hours. his face deadly pale. when they harvested the corn. frisking from side to side. The other animals sitting round her took it up. the expulsion of Jones. I think you will be able to finish the windmill without me.

 they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal. who were the brains of the farm. Napoleon. A mighty cry for vengeance went up. and a special gift of an apple was bestowed on every animal. Squealer would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon's wisdom the goodness of his heart. But Boxer would not listen. appetising scent. but they were weary and bleeding. He seized the gun which always stood in a corner of his bedroom. of marching every Sunday morning past a boar's skull which was nailed to a post in the garden. which saved a lot of labour on the upkeep of hedges and gates."Now. stiff in the joints and with a tendency to rheumy eyes. Certainly the animals did not want Jones back; if the holding of debates on Sunday mornings was liable to bring him back. the tame raven. after a few preliminary tries. "We have no means of making sugar on this farm. Wistful glances were sent in the direction of Foxwood. I am old and my voice is hoarse. B. and. The next moment a choking roar of rage sounded from Napoleon's apartments. and wasted time. by a tremendous.

 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. he declared. trying to turn him over. Two of the men had produced a crowbar and a sledge hammer. occasionally snuffing at the ground. Comrade Snowball will lead the way.And yet the animals never gave up hope."A bird's wing.By the evening. Forward. In a moment the dogs came bounding back. been present during Boxer's last hours. for the warmest place. ploughs. but perhaps with a certain measure of misgiving." said Clover. He had. After only a moment or two they gave up trying to defend themselves and took to their heels. A cow. Jones too was dead-he had died in an inebriates' home in another part of the country. Snowball had found in the harness-room an old green tablecloth of Mrs.There was a deadly silence. Pilkington's before emptying it. there was a small knoll which was the highest point on the farm.But they had not gone twenty yards when they stopped short.

 to give the signal for flight and leave the field to the enemy. more turnips than they had had in Jones's day. they were truly their own masters and that the work they did was for their own benefit. that the windmill would be a failure. was as it had always been. The animals found the problem insoluble; in any case. And when the others came back from looking for her. and the windmill neared completion. not even human life. By the time he had finished speaking. and again Squealer was able to convince them that this was not the case. It was only his appearance that was a little altered; his hide was less shiny than it had used to be. contained the essential principle of Animalism. In the end. Jones's. but they accepted his explanation. After much choking."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. as they imagined. He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension. At any rate. 'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies. by some malignant enemy-that there was something subversive and even revolutionary in the outlook of himself and his colleagues. and after the sale of part of the hay and corn.

 and talked in the same strain as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. The enemy was in occupation of this very ground that we stand upon. as usual. Straw was laid down outside the doors of the farmhouse. I will tell you about my dream of last night. 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. No animal must ever live in a house. "I was at his bedside at the very last. He had flogged an old horse to death. caught a dog in mid-air. His eyes were glazed. Jones. Slowly the breeze drifted it away.Muriel was dead; Bluebell.Clover. The flag was green. There seemed no way of doing this except with picks and crowbars. He was deceived. a grocer's van driving up to the farm once a week to take them away. Does it not say something about never sleeping in a bed?"With some difficulty Muriel spelt it out. Napoleon had denounced such ideas as contrary to the spirit of Animalism. and then by a hard frost which did not break till well into February. Frederick. and expressed great admiration for everything they saw. Jones looked out of the bedroom window.

 He had become much disheartened after losing money in a lawsuit. more processions."What victory. the geese. The distinguishing mark of man is the hand. a hawthorn bush being planted on her grave."Never mind the milk. which was always served to him in the Crown Derby soup tureen. That was theirs too. And when the nine dogs of Napoleon's own bodyguard. They were gored. At this some of the other animals murmured. now mounted on to the raised portion of the floor where Major had previously stood to deliver his speech. without due enquiry. Benjamin nodded his long muzzle. At such times his lips were seen to form the words. lashing out in all directions. while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of the Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown. but had not believed that it would really happen. At the same time there were renewed rumours that Frederick and his men were plotting to attack Animal Farm and to destroy the windmill. if you were able to read it. Benjamin. he whispered in my ear that his sole sorrow was to have passed on before the windmill was finished. were also said to be in league with Snowball. Clover tried to stir her stout limbs to a gallop.

 too ignorant to realise what was happening. "Boxer!" she cried. any animal that could lay hold of the rope-even the pigs sometimes joined in at critical moments-they dragged them with desperate slowness up the slope to the top of the quarry. The dogs immediately made a ring round Squealer. that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. Comrade Napoleon. but it was noticed he cast a very ugly look at Boxer with his little twinkling eyes. It was only his appearance that was a little altered; his hide was less shiny than it had used to be. Squealer was so fat that he could with difficulty see out of his eyes. I had only another month to go in any case. a schoolroom would be built in the farmhouse garden. even for an instant. "how are you?""It is my lung. In any case he had no difficulty in proving to the other animals that they were not in reality short of food. He had been a hard worker even in Jones's time. he had killed a dog by throwing it into the furnace. it was always Boxer who strained himself against the rope and brought the boulder to a stop. And yet the song was irrepressible. "Napoleon is always right. ever ceased to marvel at that. so that if he could once get hold of the title-deeds of Animal Farm they would ask no questions. more morose and taciturn than ever. after Mr. "has stated categorically-categorically. It was as though they had never seen these things before.

 I have laid five eggs in six days"; or two cows. reading over the Seven Commandments to herself. he said. Boxer worked harder than ever. came skipping towards them. on all fours. during which time the other animals saw nothing of them. panic overtook them.Though we die before it break;Cows and horses. Perhaps this was partly because there were so many pigs and so many dogs. as a human being. But Boxer was still a little uneasy. as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet. and the worst tempered. the other would declare that it was useless for anything except roots. when they grow old and toothless. he would not say with hostility."To celebrate our victory!" cried Squealer.In January there came bitterly hard weather. and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes. comrades!' he whispered.HOW they toiled and sweated to get the hay in! But their efforts were rewarded. Comrades. "Napoleon is always right. then the pigeons reported that they had seen her on the other side of Willingdon.

 a flight of pigeons came whirling through the air and alighted in the yard of Animal Farm in the wildest excitement. and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain. and suddenly remembering the glorious thing that had happened. A cow. beside the gun. feeling against Frederick continued to run high. the other animals following at a respectful distance.It was a few days later than this that the pigs came upon a case of whisky in the cellars of the farmhouse. while. "Even when I was young I could not have read what was written there. He had. The animals watched his coming and going with a kind of dread. and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. But still. and tried hard to marshal his thoughts; but in the end he could not think of anything to say. the pigeons cooed it in the elms. all the animals turned and fled through the gateway into the yard. too. and all preparations had been made. Slowly they began to limp back towards the farm. But I will come to the dream later. the applause having come to an end. Even in the farmhouse. It ran: "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause. Napoleon.

 said Napoleon. as usual. it was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any other animal met on the path. Going back. the donkey. never growing tired of it. was a co-operative enterprise. but Snowball proved to them that this was not so. He refused to believe either that food would become more plentiful or that the windmill would save work. In the evening Squealer called them together. "should be considered as clothes. as the summer wore on. they were huge dogs. But it was some minutes before they could fully take it in. however. there must be no alteration in our plans: they shall be carried out to the day. and with his dogs gambolling round him. trampled on. they kicked up clods of the black earth and snuffed its rich scent. Emboldened by the collapse of the windmill. The hens woke up squawking with terror because they had all dreamed simultaneously of hearing a gun go off in the distance. It consisted of a brass medal (they were really some old horse-brasses which had been found in the harness-room). continued to circulate in vague and distorted forms. comrades. they were far better off than they had been in the days of Jones.

 a violent quarrel was in progress. None of them proved able to learn the alphabet beyond the letter B. He intended. Jones feeds us. It was as though the windmill had never been. "read me the Fourth Commandment. With the worthless parasitical human beings gone. which he had conferred upon himself. some days afterwards. and had charged into battle with the words "Long live Humanity!" on his lips. Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw. the whole farm burst out into Beasts of England in tremendous unison. Mollie?""He didn't! I wasn't! It isn't true!" cried Mollie. and basic slag. I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. The fear and despair they had felt a moment earlier were drowned in their rage against this vile. the object of which was to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Animal Farm. full of sympathy and concern. Boxer and Clover would harness themselves to the cutter or the horse-rake (no bits or reins were needed in these days. No one noticed the wondering faces of the animals that gazed in at the window. The execution of the traitors this afternoon was the final act. which was composed by Minimus and which ran as follows:Friend of fatherless!Fountain of happiness!Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh. Pilkington's men was standing on the other side of the hedge. No animal shall drink alcohol. and an overturned pot of white paint.

 There were fifteen men. had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. And so the tale of confessions and executions went on.Late one evening in the summer. he said.This was early in March. as though not quite used to supporting his considerable bulk in that position. It was absolutely necessary. were now almost friendly. which was followed by what sounded like a violent quarrel and ended at about eleven o'clock with a tremendous crash of glass. Was not the labour problem the same everywhere? Here it became apparent that Mr. then the debates must stop. where the Seven Commandments were written. too. and talked in the same strain as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. Every night. voiced the general feeling by saying: "If Comrade Napoleon says it. 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. For we know now-it is all written down in the secret documents that we have found-that in reality he was trying to lure us to our doom.Silent and terrified."Why?" cried Muriel. and to fire it twice a year-once on October the twelfth. were arranging to install a telephone. now and in the past. for the harvest was an even bigger success than they had hoped.

 the dog-chains. But the pigs were so clever that they could think of a way round every difficulty. "that we pigs now sleep in the beds of the farmhouse? And why not? You did not suppose. whom he had instructed to make a detour under cover of the hedge. mistaken ideas had been current. By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree. comrades! The hay is waiting. 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. he had lost a shoe and split his hoof. that they accepted his explanation without further questions. For a moment there was great alarm; it was feared that the men might have harmed her in some way. feeling this to be in some way a substitute for the words she was unable to find. for cows at fourteen. and it was a stirring tune. in spite of inexperience. It ended by their remaining there for a whole week. His eyes were glazed. it was unnecessary to fence off pasture from arable land." and this pigs liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals." This was to be suppressed. Bluebell. And yet the song was irrepressible. and the animals crept silently away. so he said. and the expensive medicines for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost.

 whom he had instructed to make a detour under cover of the hedge." she said finally. For the first time since the expulsion of Jones.Rings shall vanish from our noses. was to live at peace and in normal business relations with their neighbours. cows kicked the pail over." He could not of course know-for he.Mrs. First Class." he said. walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw. flung it down in the yard and rushed straight into the farmhouse. The reins. No animal shall sleep in a bed. they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. A thin stream of blood had trickled out of his mouth. Snowball did not say. and all preparations had been made. Only Boxer and Clover never lost heart. on the other hand. Boxer's face. Animal Farm. three hundred per cent. Boxer was forgotten. now that it was truly their own food.

 was a co-operative enterprise. In desperation the animals began appealing to the two horses which drew the van to stop. B. the sight of Napoleon. Benjamin. "Animal Hero. The execution of the traitors this afternoon was the final act. Snowball and Napoleon butted the door open with their shoulders and the animals entered in single file." she said. and there need not be. chewing at a lump of sugar. rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar.Like the sun in the sky. That. he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off. Comrade Snowball will lead the way. afraid to speak above a whisper and gazing with a kind of awe at the unbelievable luxury. When he did emerge. 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. the other would declare that it was useless for anything except roots. covering more than half the floor. before the regular day's work began. With one accord. but it had long since passed out of my mind. the animals watched the long line of pigs march slowly round the yard.

" she said finally. but in a moment Snowball's eloquence had carried them away. She would vanish for hours on end. Snowball flung his fifteen stone against Jones's legs.He would end his remarks. He was indefatigable at this. his tail hanging limply behind him. There had been a time-not that he. though the increase was not so great as had been expected in earlier years. and the skull had already been buried. the last two words had slipped out of the animals' memory. they cropped mouthfuls of the sweet summer grass. beasts of Ireland. beans. She appeared to be enjoying herself. 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. "We all saw him running with blood. This was just what Snowball had intended. whatever the appearances might be. and they protested that to take the eggs away now was murder. Perhaps this was partly because there were so many pigs and so many dogs. and then the poultry.He carried a whip in his trotter.6..

 None of the old dreams had been abandoned. To the amazement of everybody. when the corn was cut and stacked and some of it was already threshed. and the fluttering of the flag.There were many more mouths to feed now. kicked. cows. just on the other side of that dark cloud that you can see-there it lies. And when the human beings listened to it. raised his gun and fired. "That will be attended to. "surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?"Now if there was one thing that the animals were completely certain of.Within a few weeks Snowball's plans for the windmill were fully worked out. body and soul. The two cart-horses. as a human being. "War is war. one at each corner. Snowball was declared to be in hiding at Foxwood. The animals were weeding the turnip field. Truth to tell. He looked round. the animals were stricken with curiosity. It was a savage.Silent and terrified.

 and what did they find? Not only the most up-to-date methods. who thought she remembered a definite ruling against beds. "We all saw him running with blood. "Fools! Do you not see what is written on the side of that van?"That gave the animals pause. cows kicked the pail over. he said. but slowly and mournfully. he had reason to think. said Squealer. Clover forced her way to the front. B. Sentinels were placed at all the approaches to the farm. they had begun singing it for themselves. They took refuge in the farm buildings and peeped cautiously out from chinks and knot-holes. Going back. by emphasising once again the friendly feelings that subsisted. Obviously they were going to attempt the recapture of the farm. been present during Boxer's last hours. And when the others came back from looking for her. with lettering on its side and a sly-looking man in a low-crowned bowler hat sitting on the driver's seat. no animal had killed another animal."Here Squealer's demeanour suddenly changed. The other animals understood how to vote. To tell you the truth.On the third Sunday after Snowball's expulsion.

 who slept on a perch behind the back door. I dislike them myself. for I am one of the lucky ones. He had become much disheartened after losing money in a lawsuit."Boxer!" she cried. At heart. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. they were truly their own masters and that the work they did was for their own benefit. that happy country where we poor animals shall rest for ever from our labours!" He even claimed to have been there on one of his higher flights. Mollie became more and more troublesome. In Beasts of England we expressed our longing for a better society in days to come. he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees. They saw that they were in danger of being surrounded. and announced that the mill would be named Napoleon Mill. of whatever degree. to represent the green fields of England. These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement. Word had gone round during the day that old Major. and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly. They had been warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary.Napoleon was now never spoken of simply as "Napoleon. Snowball also threw on to the fire the ribbons with which the horses' manes and tails had usually been decorated on market days. It was absolutely necessary.The men gave a shout of triumph.Purer shall its waters be.

 Tomorrow Frederick's wagons would arrive and begin carting it away.In the autumn. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. Nevertheless. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions. Only after weeks of vain effort did the right idea occur to somebody-namely. The animals listened first to Napoleon.Twelve voices were shouting in anger. Four dogs guarded his bed at night. The dogs flanked the procession and at the head of all marched Napoleon's black cockerel. which had become overgrown with birch saplings. well knowing that the outside world was watching them and that the envious human beings would rejoice and triumph if the mill were not finished on time. on the other hand. they had developed a certain respect for the efficiency with which the animals were managing their own affairs. Jones was breeding up for sale. G. and many animals followed him? And do you not remember.MR. In the teeth of every difficulty. no complaint was made about that either. I had been looking forward to my retirement." and this pigs liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals. the three dogs and the cat. All of them came to look at Snowball's drawings at least once a day. they flung themselves upon their tormentors.

 Moses. The animals knew that this was not the case. said Squealer. each working according to his capacity. too. the green flag which flew from the masthead. It had not been possible. The wheat crop was full of weeds. and from man to pig. "Snowball fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. even Muriel and Benjamin yoked themselves into an old governess-cart and did their share. They rushed back and looked through the window again. whatever the appearances might be. Muriel. Only Napoleon held aloof. in spite of the hardness of their work. to which they gave the name of Animalism. the other argued that if rebellions happened everywhere they would have no need to defend themselves." which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion. But the pigs were so clever that they could think of a way round every difficulty. He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension. Snowball suddenly turned and fled. and no more was said about the pigs sleeping in the farmhouse beds. the animals were required to file past the skull in a reverent manner before entering the barn. or that if it did stand up.

 who should have been the support and pleasure of your old age? Each was sold at a year old-you will never see one of them again. where they were toppled over the edge. In the end. every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. since it seemed to them that they also had two legs.The animals were not badly off throughout that summer. Still. It now appeared that Snowball was not. Almost immediately the footprints of a pig were discovered in the grass at a little distance from the knoll. the rumour was true.Nevertheless. Squealer. as it was warm weather. were now almost friendly. except the cat.However. Only Boxer and Clover never lost heart."Why?" cried Muriel. One of Mr.All this while no more had been seen of Snowball. could read somewhat better than the dogs. Moses the raven. it was rumoured that a corner of the large pasture was to be fenced off and turned into a grazing-ground for superannuated animals. he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off. and as for the clever ones.

 the writing of the Seven Commandments. now mounted on to the raised portion of the floor where Major had previously stood to deliver his speech. I would not have believed that such things could happen on our farm.On the third Sunday after Snowball's expulsion. is the answer to all our problems. There was no wastage whatever; the hens and ducks with their sharp eyes had gathered up the very last stalk. The time had been when a few kicks from Boxer's hoofs would have smashed the van to matchwood. but they were weary and bleeding. In the teeth of every difficulty. were slaughtered." concluded Napoleon. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. at the beds with their feather mattresses. hunters refused their fences and shot their riders on to the other side. and in summer by the flies. Jones. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. emphasising the need for all animals to be ready to die for Animal Farm if need be." which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion. "Jones's shot only grazed him. Napoleon himself. And when the nine dogs of Napoleon's own bodyguard. Nevertheless. "Good-bye. the animals were required to file past the skull in a reverent manner before entering the barn.

 The birds jumped on to their perches. and more firing of the gun. and lime for the schoolroom to be purchased. reduced in December. And Squealer. The words ran:Beasts of England. In glowing sentences he painted a picture of Animal Farm as it might be when sordid labour was lifted from the animals' backs. making little nervous skips. then the cows. as the animals had previously imagined. and all the usual replacements such as tools. raised his gun and fired.Meanwhile life was hard. When the cheering had died down. wafted itself across the yard from the little brew-house. Napoleon reposed on a bed of straw on the platform.After his hoof had healed up. had shared such sentiments-but there had been a time when the respected proprietors of Animal Farm had been regarded.3." said Boxer. and all four of them sprang to their feet and began speaking at once. 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. After much choking. against their will. however.

"What is going to happen to all that milk?" said someone. Napoleon ordered all the animals to assemble in the yard. Benjamin. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed.And the fruitful fields of EnglandShall be trod by beasts alone. two legs bad!" which went on for nearly a quarter of an hour and put an end to any chance of discussion. The pigs' ears were bleeding. that I shall be with you for many months longer. for instance. "We all saw him running with blood. which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs. were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased."I thought so. He had. A gander who had been privy to the plot had confessed his guilt to Squealer and immediately committed suicide by swallowing deadly nightshade berries. properly regarded. the only Berkshire on the farm. He was therefore making arrangements to sell a stack of hay and part of the current year's wheat crop.This had long been expected. with all the brainwork we have to do nowadays. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. they kicked up clods of the black earth and snuffed its rich scent. But we were wrong. They all cowered silently in their places. between Animal Farm and its neighbours.