of England. Above all. but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies.

 so he said
 so he said. So that. The dogs had suddenly caught sight of them. and there was a hush. Squealer explained. Jones was safely out of the way. Yes. Whymper. not doled out to them by a grudging master. On the same day it was given out that fresh documents had been discovered which revealed further details about Snowball's complicity with Jones. fifteen pounds of hay. as though nothing had happened. There was a cry of indignation. Frederick were anxious to buy it. Moses said. She was telling them that all animals were now comrades and that any sparrow who chose could come and perch on her paw; but the sparrows kept their distance. Sentinels were placed at all the approaches to the farm. pretty white mare who drew Mr. however. For the time being. Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments.

 If he were gone. he cleared his throat and began:"Comrades. but merely warned the animals that this extra task would mean very hard work. unable even to raise his head. It now appeared that Snowball had not.There was a deadly silence. The enemy both external and internal has been defeated. Whatever happened she would remain faithful. His two slogans. Even the ducks and hens toiled to and fro all day in the sun.At the gate they paused. Snowball now launched his second line of attack. would you. Muriel began to spell out the words. but Boxer never faltered. at the opposite end from the Seven Commandments. They took refuge in the farm buildings and peeped cautiously out from chinks and knot-holes. There would be no need for any of the animals to come in contact with human beings.Curiously enough."I thought so. He intended to take the whole burden upon his own shoulders.

 the plan could go forward without his interference." which was conferred posthumously on the dead sheep. The title-deeds. comrades." "reports. When captured. They knew that life nowadays was harsh and bare. though. with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. the processions. Word had gone round during the day that old Major. Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler. with Snowball at the head of them."So the animals trooped down to the hayfield to begin the harvest. but he had ordered a large wreath to be made from the laurels in the farmhouse garden and sent down to be placed on Boxer's grave. But the men did not go unscathed either. What was it that had altered in the faces of the pigs? Clover's old dim eyes flitted from one face to another. There were songs. In these days Napoleon rarely appeared in public.However. when fierce.

But everyone worked according to his capacity The hens and ducks. and two geese were killed. Electricity. Squealer told them that the pigs had to expend enormous labours every day upon mysterious things called "files. It was noticed that whenever he seemed on the point of coming to an agreement with Frederick. however. were too strong for them; and suddenly. mostly sheep. I had only another month to go in any case. I had been looking forward to my retirement."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. They were all slain on the spot. It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune.Early in October. their enemies in flight. all the animals crowded through the door to watch the chase. Electricity. He claimed to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain. comrades. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. he would not say with hostility.

 geese and turkeys. Squealer's lists of figures. the horsehair sofa.He would end his remarks. In the autumn the four sows had all littered about simultaneously. and the mugs were emptied to the dregs. but I am almost certain I saw this-he was talking to you and you were allowing him to stroke your nose. the degrading nosebags. while Benjamin kept the flies off him. that Comrade Napoleon sprang forward with a cry of 'Death to Humanity!' and sank his teeth in Jones's leg? Surely you remember that. However. It was well seasoned. and the rebuilding of the windmill.Ere he had grown as bigEven as a pint bottle or as a rolling-pin. Every night. His imagination had now run far beyond chaff-cutters and turnip-slicers. and talk by the hour to anyone who would listen. in a way they had never sung it before."At this moment there was a tremendous uproar. They had been credited with attempting to stir up rebellion among the animals on neighbouring farms. You do not appreciate.

" she said to him. and reapers and binders. later in the year.THREE nights later old Major died peacefully in his sleep. Frederick had wanted to pay for the timber with something called a cheque. with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. And by the time the sheep had quieted down. never criticising. but he would not offer a reasonable price. where they were toppled over the edge. a hawthorn bush being planted on her grave. Boxer saw them coming and put out his great hoof. each recounting his own exploits in the battle at the top of his voice. No argument must lead you astray. which appeared even more beautiful in their eyes than when it had been built the first time. he said. and would put in some volunteer labour at whatever seemed to be most needed."Bravery is not enough. so it was said-at Foxwood. He paced up and down without a word. JONES.

 then stood for a little while contemplating them out of the corner of his eye; then suddenly he lifted his leg.6. at the beds with their feather mattresses. 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.The animals were thoroughly frightened. and for hens and geese at five. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end. hardship. They worked diligently hardly raising their faces from the ground. Jones got back he immediately went to sleep on the drawing-room sofa with the News of the World over his face. The sight of their dead comrades stretched upon the grass moved some of them to tears. as though he had heard the uproar outside. The other farmers sympathised in principle. his neck stretched out. Breakfast was an hour later than usual. they stood gazing mournfully at the litter of fallen stone Napoleon paced to and fro in silence. and near at hand there lay a lantern. indeed. and of the habit. and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever. Hitherto the animals on the farm had had a rather foolish custom of addressing one another as "Comrade.

 And." He was always referred to in formal style as "our Leader. His very first blow took a stable-lad from Foxwood on the skull and stretched him lifeless in the mud. and flung it on to the fire with the rest. The cows declared unanimously that Snowball crept into their stalls and milked them in their sleep. no one was able to imagine. By the time he had finished speaking. Henceforward the farm was to be known as "The Manor Farm"-which. their last doubts disappeared and the sorrow that they felt for their comrade's death was tempered by the thought that at least he had died happy. flung themselves flat on their bellies and hid their faces. Too many farmers had assumed. so far as they knew. that the windmill would be a failure. there in the yard was a large closed van. or wear clothes. he said. hiding on Pinchfield Farm. He lay down. this traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year. JONES."' she announced finally.

 were also said to be in league with Snowball. Slowly the breeze drifted it away. They had been credited with attempting to stir up rebellion among the animals on neighbouring farms. a grocer's van driving up to the farm once a week to take them away. In his speeches. with the white stripe down his nose." he said. at least they did not have less. The Meeting always ended with the singing of Beasts of England. it seemed. Actually the Commandment read: "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess. and purred so affectionately. I cannot describe that dream to you. the short animal lives fled by. furious denials. out from the door of the farmhouse came a long file of pigs. he would have succeeded if it had not been for our heroic Leader. Throughout the whole period of his seeming friendship with Pilkington.As for the others. and passed it on to the other animals by simple arguments. "We have no means of making sugar on this farm.

Mr. D. in spite of the hardness of their work. or that if it did stand up. comrades. some had three. kept the flies off him with his long tail. He too. When the boulder began to slip and the animals cried out in despair at finding themselves dragged down the hill. Frederick should be boiled alive. much overgrown by woodland. and it was given out that they had died of coccidiosis. and with every appearance of being seriously ill. "Snowball has done this thing! In sheer malignity. which had been disused in Jones's time. comrades. At the Meeting on the following Sunday the question of whether or not to begin work on the windmill was to be put to the vote. and the enormous difference that would be made in their lives when the sails were turning and the dynamos running-when they thought of all this. the foolish. That was theirs too. Pilkington's before emptying it.

 "Do you not see what they are doing? In another moment they are going to pack blasting powder into that hole. hens. And very comfortable beds they are too! But not more comfortable than we need. as usual. he said. their hearts swelled with imperishable pride. One false step. Any animal caught singing it was given a flogging on the spot. when panic was spreading and all seemed lost.But they woke at dawn as usual. Finding herself unable to read more than individual letters. lay in working hard and living frugally. not speaking. who was Mr. comrades! The hay is waiting. and then the pigs. In the end they finished the harvest in two days' less time than it had usually taken Jones and his men. Jones's gun had been found lying in the mud. The dogs immediately made a ring round Squealer. they had little time for speculating on such things now. Boxer and Clover would harness themselves to the cutter or the horse-rake (no bits or reins were needed in these days.

 but appeared to lead to a hole in the hedge. Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond. All animals should go naked. Pilkington; he was also going to enter into a regular agreement for the exchange of certain products between Animal Farm and Foxwood. as we now know. Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health. as it turned out."Mollie. Napoleon announced that he had decided upon a new policy. From now onwards I shall get up a full hour earlier in the mornings. and a sheep dropped dead. Pilkington; he was also going to enter into a regular agreement for the exchange of certain products between Animal Farm and Foxwood. badly.The windmill presented unexpected difficulties. This work was strictly voluntary. the Clean Tails League for the cows. Snowball did not say. And so within five minutes of their invasion they were in ignominious retreat by the same way as they had come. As yet no animal had actually retired on pension. When Mr. But all such doubts were now dispelled.

 and had their females in common. and dog biscuits. He seized the gun which always stood in a corner of his bedroom. though they pretended to think it merely ridiculous. There. Some day it was coming: it might not be soon. that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary. was still believed in. now and in the past. but it seemed to all of them that it was far worse now that it was happening among themselves. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed. since that was where the ambush had been sprung. and the rest he keeps for himself. who seldom asked questions. Yes. continued to circulate in vague and distorted forms. as usual.They had just finished singing it for the third time when Squealer. in winter. and it was a stirring tune. With his books held open by a stone.

 In these days Napoleon rarely appeared in public. drawn by two horses. He would trace out A. who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. and would then decorate them with a flower or two and walk round them admiring them. F. so the pigeons said. With one accord. Nowadays they did not sit all together as they had done in the past. even Muriel and Benjamin yoked themselves into an old governess-cart and did their share. though they were only conducted through Whymper. between Animal Farm and its neighbours. the fruit of all their struggles. who were generally recognised as being the cleverest of the animals. far too big to be used as they were. approached them with the air of having something important to say. then the debates must stop. he said. which. in fact. but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary.

 endless work in the supervision and organisation of the farm. even Muriel and Benjamin yoked themselves into an old governess-cart and did their share. in the afternoon. 'Forward in the name of the Rebellion.They had just finished singing it for the third time when Squealer. Moreover. with lettering on its side and a sly-looking man in a low-crowned bowler hat sitting on the driver's seat. and managed to limp back to his stall. The harvest is more important. The sight of their dead comrades stretched upon the grass moved some of them to tears. Napoleon. The dog shrieked for mercy and the other two fled with their tails between their legs. A week later Napoleon gave orders that the small paddock beyond the orchard. and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly. suitable for drawing on. his voice was hoarse. Discipline. while his favourite sow appeared in the watered silk dress which Mrs. and to fire it twice a year-once on October the twelfth. Then they sang Beasts of England from end to end seven times running. just at the moment when Jones and his men had got inside the yard.

 and his great sides matted with sweat. and there were some violent debates. None of them proved able to learn the alphabet beyond the letter B. Then they sang Beasts of England from end to end seven times running. As he had said. the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at twelve. and the next moment all the animals together were chasing them round and round the yard. His tail had grown rigid and twitched sharply from side to side. more processions. Pilkington; he was also going to enter into a regular agreement for the exchange of certain products between Animal Farm and Foxwood. If he made a good recovery. Snowball stood up and. no one was able to imagine. and their appetites were always good. He was trying to kick his way out. Too many farmers had assumed. frightened them almost out of their wits. Only old Benjamin was much the same as ever. was its correct and original name. 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." he said.

 so that all the materials for building were at hand. They saw. After surveying the ground. They. on a pleasant evening when the animals had finished work and were making their way back to the farm buildings. The wounds on Snowball's back. No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day. He fidgeted to and fro. but she did not sound very convinced. they absorbed everything that they were told. 'Animal Hero. is a friend. at the critical moment. the tame raven." concluded Napoleon. The two cart-horses. and achieved a canter. then that it would never work. the tame raven. Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat. Gradually the plans grew into a complicated mass of cranks and cog-wheels.

 Napoleon had really been in secret agreement with Frederick. There were fifteen men. Who will believe that I did not do this on purpose?""No sentimentality. then the sails would have to be made and after that there would be need for dynamos and cables. the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power. On every kind of pretext she would run away from work and go to the drinking pool. and that they were usually working when they were not asleep. Slowly the breeze drifted it away. There was need of paraffin oil. and flung it on to the fire with the rest. out from the door of the farmhouse came a long file of pigs. When they got up again. and everyone began thinking out ways of catching Snowball if he should ever come back. and the three-day week. 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. with two ounces of corn for each bird and three biscuits for each dog. This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses. He was running as only a pig can run. wafted itself across the yard from the little brew-house. said Squealer. Jones was asleep.

 of never complaining. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. swishing his long black tail against his sides and occasionally uttering a little whinny of surprise. 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.And yet the animals never gave up hope. The harvest was a little less successful than in the previous year. he said. so that all the materials for building were at hand. The wheat crop was full of weeds. with Squealer and another pig named Minimus.After his hoof had healed up. by a special decree of Comrade Napoleon. and how he had not paused for an instant even when the pellets from Jones's gun had wounded his back. when Jones's expulsion was still recent. filed into the barn. 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. These two had great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves. but they saw clearly that it was their duty to prepare for it. and. get out!" But the van was already gathering speed and drawing away from them.

 But they saw now that the Commandment had not been violated; for clearly there was good reason for killing the traitors who had leagued themselves with Snowball. I had been looking forward to my retirement. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields. "here is a point that must be settled. They. They. and more firing of the gun. To tell you the truth. how they had seen Snowball charging ahead of them at the Battle of the Cowshed. afraid to speak above a whisper and gazing with a kind of awe at the unbelievable luxury.Mollie in fact was missing. Then the sheep broke out into a tremendous bleating of "Four legs good. Jones was asleep. This arrangement would have worked well enough if it had not been for the disputes between Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon. Boxer and Clover pulled the wagon which served as a hearse. and in fact were putting on weight if anything. tucked his fore hoofs beneath him.In the long pasture.The men gave a shout of triumph. were arranging to install a telephone.

 I would not have believed that such things could happen on our farm. The banknotes were forgeries! Frederick had got the timber for nothing!Napoleon called the animals together immediately and in a terrible voice pronounced the death sentence upon Frederick.Nevertheless. They were all carrying sticks. One false step. All men are enemies. First Class. was no better than a criminal?""He fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. He announced that from now on the Sunday-morning Meetings would come to an end. and sharply ordered Boxer to let the dog go. This work was strictly voluntary. Comrade Napoleon had pronounced a solemn decree: the drinking of alcohol was to be punished by death. that there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed merely means a place to sleep in. flung themselves flat on their bellies and hid their faces. more morose and taciturn than ever. There was only one candidate. beside the gun. and the contract for eggs was increased to six hundred a week. she began to sing Beasts of England. Above all. but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies.