they had been slaves and now they were free.

And at the end
And at the end. and all the animals broke into a gallop and rushed into the yard. and the flimsy white things stirred and rustled in his breath. It has all been proved by documents which he left behind him and which we have only just discovered. It might be that their lives were hard and that not all of their hopes had been fulfilled; but they were conscious that they were not as other animals.But they woke at dawn as usual. Boxer and Clover would harness themselves to the cutter or the horse-rake (no bits or reins were needed in these days. Slowly. because no animal could stand on his hind legs. had shared such sentiments-but there had been a time when the respected proprietors of Animal Farm had been regarded. The rats. 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. and the pigs had great difficulty in making them see that this was contrary to the spirit of Animalism. He said very quietly that the windmill was nonsense and that he advised nobody to vote for it. the uproar awoke Mr. The pellets buried themselves in the wall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly. giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies." he said. he was strolling across the yard.

Snowball launched his first attack.Then they filed back to the farm buildings and halted in silence outside the door of the farmhouse. Jones was hurled into a pile of dung and his gun flew out of his hands. And when the nine dogs of Napoleon's own bodyguard. the stores of food for the winter were none too plentiful. saying that he would make himself responsible for their education. Snowball was declared to be in hiding at Foxwood. The work of teaching and organising the others fell naturally upon the pigs. after their fashion. lashed out with their sticks and their heavy boots. Some of the pigs themselves.Bright will shine the fields of England. clover was in season all the year round. Even Boxer was vaguely troubled. he said. At last they could stand it no longer. they all raced out into the pasture together."Now.The reading and writing classes.

and were discouraged from playing with the other young animals. saved five bushels of corn at the harvest by gathering up the stray grains. Boxer was an enormous beast. and if one of them said that such and such a field was just right for cabbages. contained the essential principle of Animalism. It was just then that Mr. his first squeak should be"Comrade Napoleon!"Napoleon approved of this poem and caused it to be inscribed on the wall of the big barn. even in defence of their own interests. morning. comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come. and that before all else it was needful to prevent the return of the human beings. comrades. quick!" he shouted. and which stood beyond the kitchen. When Mr. The next moment he and his four men were in the store-shed with whips in their hands. It was as though the world had turned upside-down. and the pigs fell silent and sat down again. The birds at first objected.

He had flogged an old horse to death. Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat. and an electric heater.Napoleon was now never spoken of simply as "Napoleon. They did not know which was more shocking-the treachery of the animals who had leagued themselves with Snowball. In its place Minimus. All animals are equal. but when I have taught you the tune. while Benjamin kept the flies off him. what had happened to the faces of the pigs. but also slept in the beds.""Our Leader. flung themselves flat on their bellies and hid their faces. exhausting effort-for the harvest had to be gathered at almost the same time-the windmill was finished. on the ground that it made them fat). executed by Squealer in white paint. About this time. First Class. They kept close to Napoleon.

the tips of his hoofs clawing at the ground. A Mr. the quarrelling and biting and jealousy which had been normal features of life in the old days had almost disappeared."I thought so. Comrade Napoleon. they had no reason for thinking that it would be within their own lifetime. in the evenings. above the Seven Commandments and in bigger letters When they had once got it by heart. Mr. which meant collecting much larger quantities of stone. wire.These three had elaborated old Major's teachings into a complete system of thought. but Boxer never faltered. They rushed back and looked through the window again.That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. he said. in the late afternoon.They limped into the yard. here is my toast: To the prosperity of The Manor Farm! "There was the same hearty cheering as before.

to be worn on Sundays and holidays. though no one would have dared to sing it aloud. Clover. and seemed to understand. Clover. with the dogs following him. with their sticks and their hobnailed boots.It had come to his knowledge. or in the evening after work was over. Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat. coal. and only a few were edible. He had made arrangements with the cockerel to call him three-quarters of an hour earlier in the mornings instead of half an hour. The grass and the bursting hedges were gilded by the level rays of the sun. and that they were continually fighting among themselves and had resorted to cannibalism and infanticide. but they were weary and bleeding. After the harvest there was a stretch of clear dry weather. But Boxer would not listen. shook his forelock several times.

Even in the farmhouse. Nobody stole. If she herself had had any picture of the future. and all the animals broke into a gallop and rushed into the yard. or thought they remembered. He announced that from now on the Sunday-morning Meetings would come to an end. Protector of the Sheep-fold. I saw him myself. the instrument with which he does all his mischief. "If Comrade Napoleon says it. frightened them almost out of their wits. and had their females in common. It was almost unbelievable."He is dead. 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. It was nearly nine o'clock when Squealer made his appearance. and seemed almost indifferent as to the effect he produced. then they capitulated and went back to their nesting boxes." said Boxer.

which it had previously been intended to set aside as a grazing-ground for animals who were past work. and in fact were putting on weight if anything. he arrived unexpectedly to examine the plans. hunters refused their fences and shot their riders on to the other side. that it was just at that moment." and the others had to be content with this cryptic answer. In addition. All the animals nodded in complete agreement. Jones's clothes out of the wardrobes and put them on. In his speeches. and the pigs fell silent and sat down again. as we now know. without openly admitting it. Frederick was the more anxious to get hold of it. It is all lies. The animals' blood boiled with rage when they heard of these things beingdone to their comrades. and then the pigs. "Tactics. of never complaining.

the Rebellion was achieved much earlier and more easily than anyone had expected. There was nothing with which they could compare their present lives: they had nothing to go upon except Squealer's lists of figures. rushed out and pecked viciously at the calves of their legs. comrades. he said. And you hens. It was not that these creatures did not work. so she said. There was more leisure too. as we now know.This was early in March. by a tremendous. neglected.The farm was more prosperous now. To that horror we all must come-cows. the last two words had slipped out of the animals' memory. no other animal had ever left the farm. To see him toiling up the slope inch by inch. and such animals as were tall enough peered in at the dining-room window.

That evening loud laughter and bursts of singing came from the farmhouse. the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power. What was it that had altered in the faces of the pigs? Clover's old dim eyes flitted from one face to another. what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them. panic overtook them. Animal Farm. But before doing so. a little distance beyond the clouds. comrades. That night there was the sound of uproarious singing. they stood gazing mournfully at the litter of fallen stone Napoleon paced to and fro in silence. the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed." he said. It was announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill. "What he has done since is different. "I will work harder" and "Comrade Napoleon is always right"-maxims. it was not for this that she and all the other animals had hoped and toiled. at least they worked for themselves. but could not put words together.

The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting. was a co-operative enterprise. Nothing short of explosives would lay them low this time! And when they thought of how they had laboured. She would vanish for hours on end. that Comrade Napoleon sprang forward with a cry of 'Death to Humanity!' and sank his teeth in Jones's leg? Surely you remember that. the expulsion of Jones. and were discouraged from playing with the other young animals. The boy did not stir. comrades. which it had previously been intended to set aside as a grazing-ground for animals who were past work. was still believed in. To my mind this explains a great deal." which was conferred there and then on Snowball and Boxer. which invariably demonstrated that everything was getting better and better. "a most terrible thing has been discovered. in which. Napoleon had denounced such ideas as contrary to the spirit of Animalism. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. surely.

with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. Beasts of England had been abolished. And at the end. But as the animals outside gazed at the scene. here is my toast: To the prosperity of The Manor Farm! "There was the same hearty cheering as before. As he had said.3. such as the sheep. I have had a long life. Whatever goes upon four legs.As for the others. pointing to the sky with his large beak-"up there. quicker in speech and more inventive. with two biscuits for each dog. and used to write them out once or twice every day to refresh his memory. he said finally. the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. A rumour went round that Snowball had after all contrived to introduce poison into Napoleon's food. For myself I do not grumble.

the thunder of the gun. teaching them to sing a new song. "Boxer! Boxer! Boxer!" And just at this moment." she said to him. because no animal could stand on his hind legs. Huge boulders.The pigs had an even harder struggle to counteract the lies put about by Moses. Snowball was said to be at Pinchfield. The four pigs waited. in spite of inexperience. it must be right. but by the time he knew them. he would say only "Donkeys live a long time. it would have to be made up by the sale of eggs. and teach them the tune of Beasts of England. These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement.On Sundays there was no work. Jones too was dead-he had died in an inebriates' home in another part of the country. If he made a good recovery.

But the pigs were so clever that they could think of a way round every difficulty. could operate threshing machines. They took refuge in the farm buildings and peeped cautiously out from chinks and knot-holes. How these were to be procured. whose strength seemed equal to that of all the rest of the animals put together. covering more than half the floor. I had been looking forward to my retirement. too. but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain. comrade? Have we not driven the enemy off our soil-the sacred soil of Animal Farm? ""But they have destroyed the windmill. holding down a long strip of paper with his trotter. who in fact was only stunned."Is it not crystal clear. When they had finished their confession.There were many more mouths to feed now. Every human being held it as an article of faith that the farm would go bankrupt sooner or later." said Squealer.In the middle of the summer Moses the raven suddenly reappeared on the farm. surely.

The pigs did not actually work. coal. it must have done so. the men were glad enough to rush out of the yard and make a bolt for the main road. through the agency of Whymper. Jones woke up. The needs of the windmill must override everything else. 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. whom they both feared and hated. "What he has done since is different. Ducklings' Friend. or even suggested. and more firing of the gun. Napoleon took them away from their mothers. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout. It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash. not far from the farm buildings. Meanwhile the animals had chased Jones and his men out on to the road and slammed the five-barred gate behind them. It was Clover's voice.

I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"The vote was taken at once.""But he was wounded. He had made arrangements with the cockerel to call him three-quarters of an hour earlier in the mornings instead of half an hour. the donkey.Their most faithful disciples were the two cart-horses.Hearken well and spread my tidingsOf the golden future time. he proved to them in detail that they had more oats. and sometimes when it was pushed over the edge it failed to break."Comrades. which no animal could use. Beasts of England had been abolished. he might expect to live another three years. and all the animals broke into a gallop and rushed into the yard.By the evening. "Under the guidance of our Leader. comrades. I can tell you.All must toil for freedom's sake. Sentinels were placed at all the approaches to the farm.

drawing in line after line and uttering little whimpers of excitement. He walked heavily round the shed. and of the habit. "Do you not see what they are doing? In another moment they are going to pack blasting powder into that hole. Emboldened by the collapse of the windmill. He intended to take the whole burden upon his own shoulders. Jones and all his men. his tail hanging limply behind him. whose origin was unknown. Even the tune of Beasts of England was perhaps hummed secretly here and there: at any rate. asked somebody. Henceforward the farm was to be known as "The Manor Farm"-which. and the deep love he bore to all animals everywhere. The dog shrieked for mercy and the other two fled with their tails between their legs. It was also found that the stupider animals. always at the spot where the work was hardest. and that they were usually working when they were not asleep. like a piece of artillery.Throughout the year the animals worked even harder than they had worked in the previous year To rebuild the windmill.

as well as on the other two anniversaries. It was almost half built now. And. with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. were slaughtered. and talked in the same strain as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. That night there came from the farmhouse the sound of loud singing. and various others. never shirking and never volunteering for extra work either. which would clearly be most undesirable. somebody. he trampled the seedbeds. with their sticks and their hobnailed boots. At first no one had been able to imagine where these creatures came from. when Jones's expulsion was still recent. however. had stood up. but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers. Boxer was the admiration of everybody.

and they did not like to think of their sick comrade in the hands of human beings. The windmill had ceased to exist!At this sight the animals' courage returned to them. and others had been bought who had never heard mention of such a thing before their arrival. he said. The dogs saw to it that these orders were carried out. and no more was said about the pigs sleeping in the farmhouse beds. Jones. and to fire it twice a year-once on October the twelfth. Jones woke up. the sight of Napoleon. When they were all gathered together. "Under the guidance of our Leader. and the animals toiled harder than ever. iron discipline! That is the watchword for today. On several occasions. Except through Whymper. two legs better! Four legs good. The importance of keeping the pigs in good health was all too obvious. in those days they had been slaves and now they were free.