tame the rats and rabbits). two legs bad!" and keep it up for hours on end.

 but they accepted his explanation
 but they accepted his explanation. in the afternoon. By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree. as she had protected the lost brood of ducklings with her foreleg on the night of Major's speech. 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. letting out a loud "cock-a-doodle-doo" before Napoleon spoke. they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. told the sheep to stay where they were. The hens perched themselves on the window-sills. Pilkington had referred throughout to "Animal Farm. At this moment the man on the box whipped up his horses and the van moved out of the yard at a smart trot. but said quietly that Snowball's would come to nothing. Animal Farm. one at each corner. 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. I have laid five eggs in six days"; or two cows. and sharply ordered Boxer to let the dog go. It was lucky that the owners of the two farms which adjoined Animal Farm were on permanently bad terms. the long working hours. It was announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill. He talked learnedly about field drains.

 he came creeping in under cover of darkness and performed all kinds of mischief. As the summer wore on. Jones's trap. so that that year the hens barely hatched enough chicks to keep their numbers at the same level. where are those four foals you bore. except those of the pigs and the dogs. though they were only conducted through Whymper.In January there came bitterly hard weather.One Sunday morning. Remember. These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible.Meanwhile life was hard. Moses. the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters. The cat joined the Re-education Committee and was very active in it for some days. The Commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. with the animals pursuing them in triumph. Her coat was newly clipped and she wore a scarlet ribbon round her forelock.Now. now and in the past. The other animals understood how to vote.

 We had thought that Snowball's rebellion was caused simply by his vanity and ambition. whom they referred to as "Master. the long working hours. I cannot describe that dream to you. There was only one candidate. The harvest was a little less successful than in the previous year. bruised and howling. uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before. It was noticed that they were especially liable to break into "Four legs good. The dogs had suddenly caught sight of them. thieving human beings. morning. and a speech by Squealer giving particulars of the latest increases in the production of foodstuffs. properly regarded. For example. and it was a great drawback that no animal was able to use any tool that involved standing on his hind legs. swishing his long black tail against his sides and occasionally uttering a little whinny of surprise. There was more leisure too. Finally there came a night when the gale was so violent that the farm buildings rocked on their foundations and several tiles were blown off the roof of the barn. Only old Benjamin refused to grow enthusiastic about the windmill. One false step.

 The other farm. But just at that moment. she tugged gently at his mane and led him round to the end of the big barn. when he inclined toward Pilkington. and the pigs had great difficulty in making them see that this was contrary to the spirit of Animalism. and. Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw. Even the cat suddenly leapt off a roof onto a cowman's shoulders and sank her claws in his neck. If so. Squealer explained. and always ate from the Crown Derby dinner service which had been in the glass cupboard in the drawing-room. Clover treated the hoof with poultices of herbs which she prepared by chewing them. Pilkington of Foxwood or with Mr. Old Major (so he was always called. it was the biggest harvest that the farm had ever seen. who had seemed uneasy for some time past. However. a violent quarrel was in progress. that the pigs.""Ah. Mollie became more and more troublesome.

 we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies. the pigeons cooed it in the elms. and before I die.The very next morning the attack came. surely they knew their beloved Leader. Slowly. no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. "it is half-past six and we have a long day before us. Only Clover remained. and a whole flock of geese and hens-everyone. as a human being. he would ask the present company to drink a toast. Jones got back he immediately went to sleep on the drawing-room sofa with the News of the World over his face. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions.Nevertheless. everyone. produced by themselves and for themselves. and with a hard effort managed to formulate his thoughts. each working according to his capacity."And he moved off at his lumbering trot and made for the quarry. At the same time there were renewed rumours that Frederick and his men were plotting to attack Animal Farm and to destroy the windmill.

 not even human life. the geese. the horsehair sofa. and sometimes when it was pushed over the edge it failed to break. Comrade Napoleon was dying!A cry of lamentation went up. but by the time he knew them.It was a source of great satisfaction to him. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields. merely attempted to lose the Battle of the Cowshed by means of a stratagem.Bright will shine the fields of England. feeling against Frederick continued to run high. the other would declare that it was useless for anything except roots. all the animals dispersed. sheep. The pile of timber was still unsold. life would go on as it had always gone on-that is. nails. she fetched Muriel. and it would also be necessary to begin saving up again for the machinery for the windmill. that I shall be with you for many months longer. when the laws of Animal Farm were first formulated.

 Kennels Supplied. suitable for drawing on. The men fired again and again. I will sing you that song now. which he had conferred upon himself. it was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any other animal met on the path. 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.The animals were enormously relieved to hear this. which it was hoped might re-establish good relations with Pilkington. This time they did not heed the cruel pellets that swept over them like hail. he would say only "Donkeys live a long time. which. he said. After this they went back to the farm buildings. Boxer and Clover pulled the wagon which served as a hearse. To see him toiling up the slope inch by inch. Do you know what the real reason was? Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! He was Jones's secret agent all the time. the cows. whom they referred to as "Master. the thunder of the gun. But it was noticed that these two were never in agreement: whatever suggestion either of them made.

 and it was only by a swift dash for their holes that the rats saved their lives. and. as Squealer was never tired of explaining. And when the others came back from looking for her. now that for the first time animals and human beings were meeting on terms of equality? With one accord they began to creep as quietly as possible into the farmhouse garden. "Do you not see what they are doing? In another moment they are going to pack blasting powder into that hole. and Pincher. And in rebuilding it they could not this time. with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. and then would stand staring at the letters with his ears back. He did not give any reason for having changed his mind. with Snowball at the head of them. as though at a signal.However. Nevertheless. Unable at first to speak.""I have no wish to take life. a hawthorn bush being planted on her grave. the chance to utter any protest had passed. besides instituting classes in reading and writing. and there need not be.

 probably traceable in the beginning to lies circulated by Snowball. that any of the old suspicions still lingered. the improvement was enormous. clover was in season all the year round.Meanwhile life was hard. the Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep.And yet the animals never gave up hope. Are the Seven Commandments the same as they used to be. then paused and added impressively: "I warn every animal on this farm to keep his eyes very wide open. too. not even Frederick. He did not give any reason for having changed his mind. or drink alcohol. and in spite of the efforts of Napoleon and Boxer to rally them. This was what came of rebelling against the laws of Nature. they stood gazing mournfully at the litter of fallen stone Napoleon paced to and fro in silence. and from man to pig. They all declared contemptuously that his stories about Sugarcandy Mountain were lies. It ended by their remaining there for a whole week. "should be considered as clothes. Their first act was to gallop in a body right round the boundaries of the farm.

 hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with. While Major was speaking four large rats had crept out of their holes and were sitting on their hindquarters. they laboured in the fields; in winter they were troubled by the cold. At the graveside Snowball made a little speech. the crowing of the cockerel.Benjamin felt a nose nuzzling at his shoulder. One of them all but closed his jaws on Snowball's tail. oats and hay. But the pigs seemed comfortable enough.It was a few days later than this that the pigs came upon a case of whisky in the cellars of the farmhouse. Kennels Supplied. "That will be attended to. And Boxer put out his nose to sniff at the bank-notes. It was Clover. Some of them had five chins. He would perch on a stump."And he moved off at his lumbering trot and made for the quarry. The cows lowed it. Clover. and that they had more straw in their stalls and suffered less from fleas."Never mind the milk.

 According to Napoleon. There was also "Animal Hero. it was possible to guess at their parentage. Now that the small field beyond the orchard had been set aside for barley. you can sing it better for yourselves. but the problem was soon solved: they were the puppies whom Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and reared privately. They were shaken and miserable. Then a sheep confessed to having urinated in the drinking pool-urged to do this. after all. with the nine young dogs forming a semicircle round them. the pigeons cooed it in the elms. 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. what with the songs. was smaller and better kept."What is that gun firing for?" said Boxer. Actually the Commandment read: "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.Afterwards Squealer was sent round the farm to explain the new arrangement to the others. whom they referred to as "Master. But the pigs seemed comfortable enough. The Commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. they said.

The animals crowded round the van.Though we die before it break;Cows and horses. Muriel read the Commandment for her. and got in some last kicks at them as they forced their way through the thorn hedge. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes. Napoleon had accepted. too. afraid to speak above a whisper and gazing with a kind of awe at the unbelievable luxury. or the cruel retribution they had just witnessed. He announced that from now on the Sunday-morning Meetings would come to an end. lashed out with their sticks and their heavy boots. all the animals worked like slaves that year. It was announced that later. All the habits of Man are evil. the day might yet be won. and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. First Class. the sight of Napoleon. Two of the men had produced a crowbar and a sledge hammer. The title-deeds. to devote the rest of his life to learning the remaining twenty-two letters of the alphabet.

However. which had become overgrown with birch saplings. and mangel-wurzelsShall be ours upon that day. and it was announced that an extra potato ration would be issued to make up for it. Whymper heard nothing of this affair."I thought so. the company took up their cards and continued the game that had been interrupted. The hens woke up squawking with terror because they had all dreamed simultaneously of hearing a gun go off in the distance. Suddenly he slipped and it seemed certain that they had him. where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water. the dogs had tasted blood. It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism. hens. and the afternoon was given up to recreation. hundreds of sheep-and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining. and the cleverer ones at once began to learn the Commandments by heart. or even upon their human employees. Electricity. From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms: not. Meanwhile the animals had chased Jones and his men out on to the road and slammed the five-barred gate behind them. they were both thoroughly frightened by the rebellion on Animal Farm.

 even for an instant. Kennels Supplied. Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health. and the Daily Mirror.As the human beings approached the farm buildings. rollers. string. Whymper. who seldom asked questions. the animals stopped in their tracks. it must have done so. and D.It was very neatly written. it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. he said.Hearken well and spread my tidingsOf the golden future time. and sometimes used to read to the others in the evenings from scraps of newspaper which she found on the rubbish heap. "We have no means of making sugar on this farm. Even in the farmhouse. and a shrill voice. In the evening he returned to the farmhouse himself.

 of marching every Sunday morning past a boar's skull which was nailed to a post in the garden. as Benjamin is growing old too. Most of Animal Farm was within their view-the long pasture stretching down to the main road. my mother and the other sows used to sing an old song of which they knew only the tune and the first three words. Hitherto the animals on the farm had had a rather foolish custom of addressing one another as "Comrade. and as Napoleon was the only boar on the farm. Do not imagine. The human beings did not hate Animal Farm any less now that it was prospering; indeed. This was run up the flagstaff in the farmhouse garden every Sunday 8. His men were idle and dishonest.All orders were now issued through Squealer or one of the other pigs. He seldom talked. Much of this work was of a kind that the other animals were too ignorant to understand. What does that mean. He walked heavily round the shed. 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. So it was agreed without further argument that the milk and the windfall apples (and also the main crop of apples when they ripened) should be reserved for the pigs alone.Early in October. It was Clover's voice. They had had a hard year. Frederick of Pinchfield-but never.

 besides supplying every stall with its own electric light. Rumours of a wonderful farm. Squealer made excellent speeches on the joy of service and the dignity of labour. All the habits of Man are evil. I merely repeat. geese and turkeys. They met with many difficulties-for instance. Once again some of the animals heard this with a certain bewilderment.Napoleon stood sternly surveying his audience; then he uttered a high-pitched whimper.As they approached the farm Squealer. of course. Beasts of England had been abolished. and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin. hurriedly flung a few possessions into a carpet bag. Boxer's twelfth birthday was due in the late summer of the following year. And for a little while they halted in sorrowful silence at the place where the windmill had once stood.It was a source of great satisfaction to him. There were more songs. contemptible act. they could already read and write perfectly. "War is war.

 these stories were never fully believed. with various other improvements. and leather leggings. Jones - One Thousand Useful Things to Do About the House. and then reappear at meal-times. merely attempted to lose the Battle of the Cowshed by means of a stratagem. "Long live Comrade Napoleon! " Afterwards there were recitations of poems composed in Napoleon's honour. life would go on as it had always gone on-that is. Without saying anything to the others. he is too weak to pull the plough. All the pigeons. but this time they did not have the easy victory that they had had in the Battle of the Cowshed. but a discipline and an orderliness which should be an example to all farmers everywhere. A cow. Boxer could not get beyond the letter D. of course. "It does not matter. but of late the subject had been discussed more and more. The human beings could not contain their rage when they heard this song. and their appetites were always good.But they had not gone twenty yards when they stopped short.

 majestically upright. they secretly trembled."Comrades. and Clover administered it to Boxer twice a day after meals. "A horse's lungs do not last for ever. The very first question she asked Snowball was: "Will there still be sugar after the Rebellion?""No.There was a deadly silence. and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed. He was a sly-looking little man with side whiskers. Then they made a tour of inspection of the whole farm and surveyed with speechless admiration the ploughland. to be worn on Sundays and holidays. He seldom talked. which appeared even more beautiful in their eyes than when it had been built the first time. and his great haunches seemed to have shrunken. but in fact no animal had ever actually retired. there was nothing worth reading. No creature called any other creature "Master. Smiling beatifically. They had never seen animals behave like this before. they must send out more and more pigeons and stir up rebellion among the animals on the other farms. the pool.

 The animals watched his coming and going with a kind of dread.Two days later the animals were called together for a special meeting in the barn. more processions. Jones. and managed to limp back to his stall. Meanwhile the animals had chased Jones and his men out on to the road and slammed the five-barred gate behind them. Some of the animals had noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked "Horse Slaughterer. so he said. It has all been proved by documents which he left behind him and which we have only just discovered. The building of the windmill. When they had finished their confession. there was the schoolhouse for the young pigs. and in fact were putting on weight if anything. comrades. All the other male pigs on the farm were porkers. Finding herself unable to read more than individual letters.With one accord they dashed down to the spot. it was gone; almost the last trace of their labour was gone! Even the foundations were partially destroyed. and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin. temporarily stunned. Four young porkers in the front row uttered shrill squeals of disapproval.

 and he read out to her what was written on the wall. Napoleon inhabited separate apartments from the others. Too many farmers had assumed. Once again all rations were reduced. Discipline." he said. Napoleon appeared to change countenance. Boxer was the admiration of everybody. Every Sunday morning at ten o'clock the animals assembled in the big barn to receive their orders for the week. These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement. then the debates must stop. though their decisions had to be ratified by a majority vote. Pilkington; he was also going to enter into a regular agreement for the exchange of certain products between Animal Farm and Foxwood. simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball. He was closeted there for hours at a time. such as rats and rabbits-are they our friends or our enemies? Let us put it to the vote. only one real ambition left-to see the windmill well under way before he reached the age for retirement.It was very neatly written. The pigeons swirled into the air. There. one at each corner.

 especially from Clover. was smaller and better kept. and when the key of the store-shed was lost. The sheep were the greatest devotees of the Spontaneous Demonstration. "a most terrible thing has been discovered. who looked like a publican." and "Animal Hero. The boy did not stir. intended to create a little disorder. A1most overnight we could become rich and free. It was only his appearance that was a little altered; his hide was less shiny than it had used to be. he had been censured for showing cowardice in the battle. That was theirs too. that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man. and the dog slunk away. Already Frederick had paid up; and the sum he had paid was just enough to buy the machinery for the windmill. in winter. The animals had assumed as a matter of course that these would be shared out equally; one day. some of the animals remembered-or thought they remembered-that the Sixth Commandment decreed "No animal shall kill any other animal. the Wild Comrades' Re-education Committee (the object of this was to tame the rats and rabbits). two legs bad!" and keep it up for hours on end.