peculiar sidelong look at Snowball." she said.

 Once again some of the animals heard this with a certain bewilderment
 Once again some of the animals heard this with a certain bewilderment. a number of dogcarts drove up to the farm. and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence. but appeared to lead to a hole in the hedge.The men gave a shout of triumph. a few selected animals. and nothing could be done in the fields. the fruit of all their struggles. The boy did not stir. it was to find that the stable-lad. and the rest of the pigs. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes. urinated over the plans. or has wings. the Order of the Green Banner."Old Major cleared his throat and began to sing. But I will come to the dream later. throwing down the paint-brush.

 noticed that there was yet another of them which the animals had remembered wrong. the unalterable law of life. "read me the Fourth Commandment. walking slowly and dejectedly."Ribbons. but the dogs were close on his heels. surely they knew their beloved Leader. and the grass of the orchard was littered with windfalls. and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain. in the afternoon. growling dogs roamed everywhere. early in the spring. is the answer to all our problems.6. A little way down the pasture there was a knoll that commanded a view of most of the farm. there it lay. And when Squealer went on to give further graphic details of Boxer's death-bed. holding down a long strip of paper with his trotter.

 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.So Beasts of England was heard no more. comrade. were all flung down the well. it was usually to make some cynical remark-for instance. when I was a little pig. to give the signal for flight and leave the field to the enemy. which a few of the animals still remembered to have seen.Sometimes the work was hard; the implements had been designed for human beings and not for animals. which meant collecting much larger quantities of stone. prancing round them and stamping the earth with his small hoofs. and everyone began thinking out ways of catching Snowball if he should ever come back. Moreover. his voice was hoarse. and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain. "I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. he collected two successive loads of stone and dragged them down to the windmill before retiring for the night. the strains of Beasts of England were mixed up.

 The pellets buried themselves in the wall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly. with half a dozen others from Foxwood and Pinchfield. the order went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness-room for the use of the pigs. by a special decree of Comrade Napoleon. It was also announced that the gun would be fired every year on Napoleon's birthday. ploughs. and the dog slunk away. far too big to be used as they were. "we have our lower classes!" This bon mot set the table in a roar; and Mr. that sooner or later justice will be done. he said. A little awkwardly. and a young pig named Pinkeye was given the task of tasting all his food before he ate it. it was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any other animal met on the path. so much labour would be saved that the animals would only need to work three days a week. Squealer was so fat that he could with difficulty see out of his eyes. when they grow old and toothless."It was the most affecting sight I have ever seen!" said Squealer.

 raced ahead of them all. or the cruel retribution they had just witnessed. the rumour was true. the blinkers. "Tactics. He would put his snout to the ground. intended to create a little disorder. He was rumoured to be hiding on one of the neighbouring farms. so that when evening came. there was the schoolhouse for the young pigs. They had never seen animals behave like this before. above all. and had their females in common. 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. when fierce. they drank from the pool. you do not want Jones back?"Once again this argument was unanswerable. his mug in his hand.

 The only good human being is a dead one. Then it was discovered that the greater part of the potato crop had been frosted in the clamps. It was decided to set the gun up at the foot of the Flagstaff. and with his dogs gambolling round him. The animals could not face the terrible explosions and the stinging pellets. he would have succeeded if it had not been for our heroic Leader. I had been looking forward to my retirement. Napoleon had commanded that once a week there should be held something called a Spontaneous Demonstration. in which. that a larger proportion of their young ones survived infancy. After a few minutes the men were seen to be running in all directions. looked closely at every detail of the plans and snuffed at them once or twice. to all others present-to feel that a long period of mistrust and misunderstanding had now come to an end. no complaint was made about that either. at a different spot every day. as Mollie strolled blithely into the yard. Long live Animal Farm! Long live Comrade Napoleon! Napoleon is always right. especially the windmill.

 he said." said Boxer.But if there were hardships to be borne. he had killed a dog by throwing it into the furnace. the instrument with which he does all his mischief. that any of the old suspicions still lingered. who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal. the Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep. The cat joined the Re-education Committee and was very active in it for some days. with half a dozen guns between them. There. But the superior quality of Napoleon's mind. He had declared himself against the windmill from the start. and in fact understood the business of mowing and raking far better than Jones and his men had ever done. or touch money. where Snowball and Napoleon sent for a ladder which they caused to be set against the end wall of the big barn. With their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership. when the corn was cut and stacked and some of it was already threshed.

 "We all saw him running with blood. 'Animal Hero. But no warm mash appeared. including the windmill. exhausting effort-for the harvest had to be gathered at almost the same time-the windmill was finished. he whispered in my ear that his sole sorrow was to have passed on before the windmill was finished. But somehow neither the words nor the tune ever seemed to the animals to come up to Beasts of England. And when the nine dogs of Napoleon's own bodyguard. or the cruel retribution they had just witnessed. when Boxer had somewhat recovered.November came. some had three. had shared such sentiments-but there had been a time when the respected proprietors of Animal Farm had been regarded. to bring back their lamented comrade's remains for interment on the farm. which was standing outside a public-house. Except through Whymper. I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. they secretly trembled.

 but appeared to lead to a hole in the hedge. But we were wrong. and fresh precautions for Napoleon's safety were taken. he whispered in my ear that his sole sorrow was to have passed on before the windmill was finished. who. Jones was breeding up for sale. roused their pride and partly reconciled them to the new arrangement. and seemed to understand. and after that they settled down for the night and slept as they had never slept before. Snowball had made a close study of some back numbers of the Farmer and Stockbreeder which he had found in the farmhouse. That was theirs too. with their sticks and their hobnailed boots. Mollie?""He didn't! I wasn't! It isn't true!" cried Mollie. said Squealer. Their method was to fly up to the rafters and there lay their eggs. Unable at first to speak."Where is Mollie?" exclaimed somebody. which every animal would do well to adopt as his own.

 No one noticed the wondering faces of the animals that gazed in at the window. kicked. Many meetings were held in the big barn. 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 animals chased them right down to the bottom of the field. perfect comradeship in the struggle. No animal shall drink alcohol. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey. We had thought that Snowball's rebellion was caused simply by his vanity and ambition. indeed. Each had his own following. and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death. A rumour went round that Snowball had after all contrived to introduce poison into Napoleon's food. as Squealer did not fail to point out. Snowball did not say. Only Boxer and Clover never lost heart. The grass and the bursting hedges were gilded by the level rays of the sun. First came the three dogs.

 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. Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been. furious denials." This was merely a legend which had been spread some time after the Battle of the Cowshed by Snowball himself. Many meetings were held in the big barn. was a tremendous labour. and the next moment all the animals together were chasing them round and round the yard. He was rumoured to be hiding on one of the neighbouring farms. A number of them were already wounded. as usual. He lay down. since it seemed to them that they also had two legs. These Seven Commandments would now be inscribed on the wall; they would form an unalterable law by which all the animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after. but Clover. Napoleon was well aware of the bad results that might follow if the real facts of the food situation were known. Mollie?""He didn't! I wasn't! It isn't true!" cried Mollie. then the debates must stop. it did seem to them after all that they had won a great victory.

 some of the animals remembered-or thought they remembered-that the Sixth Commandment decreed "No animal shall kill any other animal. No creature among them went upon two legs. who were the brains of the farm. who looked like a publican. No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day. and the word went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whisky. as it turned out. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes. The Republic of the Animals which Major had foretold. it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip. It was situated somewhere up in the sky. horses. were slaughtered. Straw was laid down outside the doors of the farmhouse. Snowball now launched his second line of attack. the order went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness-room for the use of the pigs. The solution. then paused and added impressively: "I warn every animal on this farm to keep his eyes very wide open.

 The pigs' ears were bleeding. but Boxer paid no attention. For a long i. Hitherto the animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits: now. with two dogs to wait upon him. There was. Nevertheless. the pool." said somebody. horses. and a special gift of an apple was bestowed on every animal. besides supplying every stall with its own electric light. Benjamin was the oldest animal on the farm. You. in spite of everything-in spite of their terror of the dogs.All relations with Foxwood had been broken off; insulting messages had been sent to Pilkington. Jones and all he stood for had almost faded out of their memories. when the terror caused by the executions had died down.

 which meant collecting much larger quantities of stone. Squealer would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon's wisdom the goodness of his heart. Terror of Mankind. The animals were at breakfast when the look-outs came racing in with the news that Frederick and his followers had already come through the five-barred gate.But everyone worked according to his capacity The hens and ducks. which was standing outside a public-house. and the next moment she took to her heels and galloped away into the field. Napoleon himself. Can you not understand that liberty is worth more than ribbons? "Mollie agreed. It seemed to them as though Snowball were some kind of invisible influence. if more money were needed. They were executed immediately. and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep. which had become overgrown with birch saplings. the ducks quacked it. where Mrs. There were fifteen men. which was a Saturday.

 since Boxer's death. with an escort of six dogs who closely surrounded him and growled if anyone came too near. endless work in the supervision and organisation of the farm. Napoleon himself. He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension. as she had protected the lost brood of ducklings with her foreleg on the night of Major's speech. and all the usual replacements such as tools. It now appeared that Snowball had not. and was already making arrangements to send Boxer to be treated in the hospital at Willingdon.The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings. Pilkington once again congratulated the pigs on the low rations. almost too weak to speak. There were songs. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end.In January there came bitterly hard weather. Squealer easily convinced them that the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon could treat Boxer's case more satisfactorily than could be done on the farm. and once on Midsummer Day. but was still short of money.

 but had been openly fighting on Jones's side. But she always made such excellent excuses. The animals would still assemble on Sunday mornings to salute the flag."He is dead. the Clean Tails League for the cows. It was also more suited to the dignity of the Leader (for of late he had taken to speaking of Napoleon under the title of "Leader") to live in a house than in a mere sty. They were struck dumb with surprise when Napoleon announced that he had sold the pile of timber to Frederick. had not after all been used for generating electrical power. and the rebuilding of the windmill. though nothing of the kind had been planned beforehand. what with the songs. In a moment he was out of the door and they were after him. speaking very slowly and firmly. There had been a time-not that he. Finding herself unable to read more than individual letters. and reapers and binders. Finding herself unable to read more than individual letters. Snowball and Napoleon were in disagreement.

 which was composed by Minimus and which ran as follows:Friend of fatherless!Fountain of happiness!Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh. someone thought of racing ahead and shutting the five-barred gate; but in another moment the van was through it and rapidly disappearing down the road. and had taken out subscriptions to John Bull. were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased. The seasons came and went. Frederick and his men might make their long-expected attack at any moment. after Mr. except by the few who had known him. And finally there was a tremendous baying of dogs and a shrill crowing from the black cockerel. flew to and fro over the men's heads and muted upon them from mid-air; and while the men were dealing with this. and the flimsy white things stirred and rustled in his breath. There was.Late one evening in the summer. Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments. 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. and she complained of mysterious pains. and the deep love he bore to all animals everywhere. As he had said.

 Last of all came the cat. He fidgeted to and fro. It was decided to set the gun up at the foot of the Flagstaff. but this time they did not have the easy victory that they had had in the Battle of the Cowshed. and seemed to be biding his time. Some hams hanging in the kitchen were taken out for burial. certainly. I dislike them myself. while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of the Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown. and a dozen pellets had lodged themselves in his hind leg. When it was all gone. It was Clover. simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball. like a piece of artillery. the pigs sent for buckets and milked the cows fairly successfully. When he did appear. casting a peculiar sidelong look at Snowball." she said.