animals. he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees. all the animals worked like slaves that year.

and nearly everyone was wounded
and nearly everyone was wounded.Beasts of every land and clime. There was more leisure too. make use of the fallen stones. The one argued that if they could not defend themselves they were bound to be conquered. There were the bricks. Whoever had thoroughly grasped it would be safe from human influences. His men were idle and dishonest. feeling against Frederick continued to run high. and talked in the same strain as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. When Mr. For a horse.Bright will shine the fields of England. and then the pigs. had the tip of his tail chipped by a pellet. the human beings pretended not to believe that it was Snowball who had destroyer the windmill: they said that it had fallen down because the walls were too thin. And thereafter. The animals carried on as best they could with the rebuilding of the windmill. the walls were twice as thick as before. The other animals sitting round her took it up. giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies.

and expressed great admiration for everything they saw. A little awkwardly.Comrade Napoleon!Had I a sucking-pig. No animal shall wear clothes. "Gentlemen.YEARS passed.' and half a bushel of apples to any animal who brings him to justice. After this they went back to the farm buildings. Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health.Early in October. However. that the windmill would be a failure. he had reason to think. comrade!" or "Whoa back. Jones's clothes out of the wardrobes and put them on. contained the essential principle of Animalism. he would not say with hostility. whisking his tail and beaming with satisfaction. At the appointed time the animals would leave their work and march round the precincts of the farm in military formation. One of the cows broke in the door of the store-shed with her horn and all the animals began to help themselves from the bins. The men fired again and again.

said Napoleon. giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies. "Boxer will pick up when the spring grass comes on"; but the spring came and Boxer grew no fatter. Whenever anything went wrong it became usual to attribute it to Snowball. never to engage in trade. the pigeons cooed it in the elms. A pile of straw in a stall is a bed.' immediately afterwards?""That was our mistake."I do not believe that. Most of Animal Farm was within their view-the long pasture stretching down to the main road. after all. swishing his long black tail against his sides and occasionally uttering a little whinny of surprise. Whatever happened she would remain faithful. There seemed no way of doing this except with picks and crowbars. where the Seven Commandments were written. and passed it on to the other animals by simple arguments. walking slowly and dejectedly. It had spread with astonishing speed. Many of the animals believed him. is a friend. It ran: "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.

Clover asked Benjamin to read her the Sixth Commandment. cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trodden on. feeling against Frederick continued to run high. and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. The animals felt a little uneasy at this. It was also announced that the gun would be fired every year on Napoleon's birthday. Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. which was the signal for retreat. and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep. they were able to forget that their bellies were empty. For we have reason to think that some of Snowball's secret agents are lurking among us at this moment! "Four days later." And from then on he adopted the maxim. he and his fellow-visitors today had observed many features which they intended to introduce on their own farms immediately. however. Still. seized four of the pigs by the ear and dragged them. it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. Weak or strong. The earth was like iron. Benjamin nodded his long muzzle. but the structure was completed.

There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. I had been looking forward to my retirement. The animals were not certain what the word meant. but by the time he knew them.About this time there occurred a strange incident which hardly anyone was able to understand. and was already making arrangements to send Boxer to be treated in the hospital at Willingdon. Emboldened by the collapse of the windmill. The only good human being is a dead one. no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind.Every Monday Mr. he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at. between the shafts of the cart. Their bodies were buried in the orchard. "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right. Beasts of England had been abolished. The distinguishing mark of man is the hand. here and now I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball.They limped into the yard. for the harvest was an even bigger success than they had hoped. I saw him myself. All men are enemies.

It was nearly nine o'clock when Squealer made his appearance. B. It is called Beasts of England. Moses said. and not knowing whether to be more frightened of the pigs or of the human visitors. All the animals capered with joy when they saw the whips going up in flames. Snowball explained. Frederick. When the cheering had died down." concluded Mr. the geese. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure. But still. some of the animals might possibly have protested.As the human beings approached the farm buildings. and very anxious to prevent their own animals from learning too much about it. was so great that it would have taken a lot of failures to outweigh it. except Jones. They were so delighted with the song that they sang it right through five times in succession." concluded Napoleon. unable even to raise his head.

since the farm possessed no threshing machine-but the pigs with their cleverness and Boxer with his tremendous muscles always pulled them through. what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them. though they pretended to think it merely ridiculous. 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. or that if it did stand up. what discouragements they had overcome. speeches. to which all animals went when they died. The pile of timber was still unsold. but Boxer never faltered.Comrade Napoleon!Thou are the giver ofAll that thy creatures love. comrades!" they shouted. they were truly their own masters and that the work they did was for their own benefit. In nothing that he said or did was there any sign that his strength was not what it had been. Does it not say something about never sleeping in a bed?"With some difficulty Muriel spelt it out. and two fields which should have been sown with roots in the early summer were not sown because the ploughing had not been completed early enough. who had a remarkable gift for composing songs and poems."Here Squealer's demeanour suddenly changed. There was need of paraffin oil. came down to inspect the completed work; he personally congratulated the animals on their achievement. Some of the animals talked of the duty of loyalty to Mr.

Now that Snowball was out of the way. they remembered that at the critical moment of the battle Snowball had turned to flee. at the beds with their feather mattresses. They tiptoed up to the house. to which they gave the name of Animalism. The wheat crop was full of weeds. but could not put words together. 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. Each had his own following.In spite of the shock that Snowball's expulsion had given them. It was not that these creatures did not work." and "Animal Hero. and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly. as the animals had previously imagined. he did learn E. by their human neighbours." And from then on he adopted the maxim."BOXER'S split hoof was a long time in healing. it was the biggest harvest that the farm had ever seen. Comrade Napoleon.Late one evening in the summer.

pretty white mare who drew Mr. but had been openly fighting on Jones's side. the Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep.At last. It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs had bought themselves a wireless set. the solemn booming of a gun.Though we die before it break;Cows and horses. To that horror we all must come-cows. but with perfect balance. as usual. but I know. It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash. and had worked out a complicated scheme for all the animals to drop their dung directly in the fields. however. then the dogs were gaining on him again. I dislike them myself."Comrades. Only Clover remained. First came the hoisting of the flag. came racing up the path on his bicycle. The corn ration was drastically reduced.

mistaken ideas had been current." he would say solemnly. with Squealer and another pig named Minimus. except those of the pigs and the dogs. in spite of receiving every attention a horse could have. after their fashion. There was only one candidate. After the hoisting of the flag. of course. To see him toiling up the slope inch by inch. Clover forced her way to the front. and set the animals free.However. when the animals assembled to receive their orders. After surveying the ground. flirting her long tail and chewing at a stalk of hay. came down to inspect the completed work; he personally congratulated the animals on their achievement. "good-bye!""Fools! Fools!" shouted Benjamin. simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball. Obviously they were going to attempt the recapture of the farm. and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain.

That was how the mistake had arisen. flung themselves flat on their bellies and hid their faces." he said.Meanwhile the timber was being carted away at high speed. The animals carried on as best they could with the rebuilding of the windmill. work night and day. In a moment the dogs came bounding back. should have a quiet place to work in. A time came when there was no one who remembered the old days before the Rebellion. Why. For days at a time the animals had nothing to eat but chaff and mangels. every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year.When the hens heard this. it was always discovered that he had forgotten A. would you.""Ah. And-I was a long way away. and seemed to understand. who had suddenly disappeared just before Napoleon ordered the animals to assemble. however. when they grow old and toothless.

Nothing could have been achieved without Boxer. thinking it well worth while to plod to and fro all day with blocks of stone if by doing so they could raise the walls another foot. of course. All the animals followed. crept away in a body. It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash. The dog shrieked for mercy and the other two fled with their tails between their legs. for the harvest was an even bigger success than they had hoped. The two with the hammer and the crowbar were drilling a hole near the base of the windmill. I saw him myself. If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up. the others found that she had remained behind in the best bedroom. The birds at first objected. this was only a light skirmishing manoeuvre.It was a few days later than this that the pigs came upon a case of whisky in the cellars of the farmhouse. though they were only conducted through Whymper. the pool. and tell Squealer what has happened. it did seem to them after all that they had won a great victory. Jessie. but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain.

The animals listened first to Napoleon. he proved to them in detail that they had more oats. For a horse. Jones and all his men. Three of them had their heads broken by blows from Boxer's hoofs; another was gored in the belly by a cow's horn; another had his trousers nearly torn off by Jessie and Bluebell. which could be made to operate a dynamo and supply the farm with electrical power. Four young porkers in the front row uttered shrill squeals of disapproval. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end. more processions. and Clover administered it to Boxer twice a day after meals. "If Comrade Napoleon says it. At this some of the other animals murmured. "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. though their decisions had to be ratified by a majority vote. In the evenings she lay in his stall and talked to him." Others asked such questions as "Why should we care what happens after we are dead?" or "If this Rebellion is to happen anyway. was a large. Perhaps this was partly because there were so many pigs and so many dogs. lay in working hard and living frugally."Meanwhile Frederick and his men had halted about the windmill." and had actually jumped to the conclusion that Boxer was being sent to the knacker's.

For the first time since the expulsion of Jones. And you. to be worn on Sundays and holidays.Yes. We will teach this miserable traitor that he cannot undo our work so easily. it was to find that the stable-lad. comrades. When he did appear. how he had rallied and encouraged them at every turn. He said very quietly that the windmill was nonsense and that he advised nobody to vote for it. the white goat.""I have no wish to take life. drive out the humans. and when treated with generosity. they all raced out into the pasture together. The time had been when a few kicks from Boxer's hoofs would have smashed the van to matchwood. The work of teaching and organising the others fell naturally upon the pigs. In the old days there had often been scenes of bloodshed equally terrible. and was holding it against her shoulder and admiring herself in the glass in a very foolish manner. comrades. with two ounces of corn for each bird and three biscuits for each dog.

After a little thought. They rolled in the dew. occasionally snuffing at the ground. She had taken to flight as soon as the gun went off. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout. their sense of honour and privilege in being members of Animal Farm. as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet. sat half a dozen farmers and half a dozen of the more eminent pigs. and the fluttering of the flag. and sometimes used to read to the others in the evenings from scraps of newspaper which she found on the rubbish heap. towards the end of January it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere. They dashed straight for Snowball. shut his eyes. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields. continued to circulate in vague and distorted forms. they were burnt in the furnace. and then Snowball and Napoleon called them together again. Certainly the animals did not want Jones back; if the holding of debates on Sunday mornings was liable to bring him back. and both she and Benjamin urged Boxer to work less hard. the unalterable law of life. Still.

and had in reality been a pensioner of Pilkington for years past.Three days later it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willingdon. One of them all but closed his jaws on Snowball's tail. the walls were twice as thick as before. collect a load of broken stone. If they went hungry. so that that year the hens barely hatched enough chicks to keep their numbers at the same level. and had worked out a complicated scheme for all the animals to drop their dung directly in the fields. horses.At last. For we have reason to think that some of Snowball's secret agents are lurking among us at this moment! "Four days later. two legs bad" both in and out of season. but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies. and even now they could hardly believe that it was all their own. the blinkers. merely set back their ears and quickened their pace. It was given out that the pasture was exhausted and needed re-seeding; but it soon became known that Napoleon intended to sow it with barley. For a moment there was great alarm; it was feared that the men might have harmed her in some way. If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up. any clash of interests whatever. His men were idle and dishonest.

Boxer's twelfth birthday was due in the late summer of the following year.Mr. comrades!' he whispered. The knoll where they were lying gave them a wide prospect across the countryside. From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms: not.At the gate they paused.By the autumn the animals were tired but happy. majestically upright. and nothing could be done in the fields. and there were some violent debates.The animals huddled about Clover. Jones's dressing-table. who had not yet painted the old name out.YEARS passed. We pigs are brainworkers. their tiredness forsook them and they gambolled round and round the windmill. his tail rigid and twitching. the halters." she said to him. And when the others came back from looking for her. Jones was safely out of the way.

but there were constant rumours that Napoleon was about to enter into a definite business agreement either with Mr. which was always served to him in the Crown Derby soup tureen. In these days Napoleon rarely appeared in public. rushed forward and prodded and butted the men from every side. The harness-room at the end of the stables was broken open; the bits. Of the two. after Mr. It was well seasoned. 'No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal. Sometimes the long hours on insufficient food were hard to bear. and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes. and the Daily Mirror. too ignorant to realise what was happening. His two slogans. At any rate. There were the bricks. "is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation.5.

""That is the true spirit. Napoleon reposed on a bed of straw on the platform.At the beginning. that they lived longer. There had been a time-not that he. and such animals as were tall enough peered in at the dining-room window.The animals huddled about Clover. and a whole flock of geese and hens-everyone. the animals settled down in the straw. When Mr. or smoke tobacco. For a long i. Her coat was newly clipped and she wore a scarlet ribbon round her forelock. In a moment he was out of the door and they were after him. For some time nobody spoke.The animals had now reassembled in the wildest excitement. and he read out to her what was written on the wall.Rings shall vanish from our noses. "a most terrible thing has been discovered. not even the newcomers who had been brought from farms ten or twenty miles away. flirting her long tail and chewing at a stalk of hay.

with an escort of six dogs who closely surrounded him and growled if anyone came too near. the solemn booming of a gun. they slept on straw."The birds did not understand Snowball's long words.Two days later the animals were called together for a special meeting in the barn. Too many farmers had assumed. and wearing both his decorations. the blinkers. Their lives now.But everyone worked according to his capacity The hens and ducks. though she lacked the words to express them. as usual. One of them. When Mr. the strong protecting the weak. It was announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill. always at the spot where the work was hardest. Pre-eminent among the pigs were two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon.""And shall I still be allowed to wear ribbons in my mane?" asked Mollie. This time the stones had vanished too. It ended by their remaining there for a whole week.

He talked learnedly about field drains. Some of them had five chins. They rushed back and looked through the window again. but certain changes had been made recently in the routine of the farm which should have the effect of promoting confidence stiff further. which was named Foxwood. he upset the milk-pails. at a different spot every day. The attempt to tame the wild creatures. four pigeons were sent to Foxwood with a conciliatory message. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. they flung themselves upon their tormentors. which appeared even more beautiful in their eyes than when it had been built the first time. to make of Mr. and leather leggings. and food was even shorter. work night and day. You would often hear one hen remark to another. For a long i. They were still the only farm in the whole county-in all England!-owned and operated by animals. he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees. all the animals worked like slaves that year.