Animals. and flung it on to the fire with the rest.

 Again the animals seemed to remember that a resolution against this had been passed in the early days
 Again the animals seemed to remember that a resolution against this had been passed in the early days. 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. never shirking and never volunteering for extra work either. were slaughtered. It was announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill. tell them the story of the Rebellion. and after breakfast there was a ceremony which was observed every week without fail. These would meet in private and afterwards communicate their decisions to the others. Some of the animals had noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked "Horse Slaughterer."It says. More. drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery. was no better than a criminal?""He fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. had all been prepared. making little nervous skips. I am certain. simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball. for the pigs had marched back into the farmhouse. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place.

 The animals were all at work weeding turnips under the supervision of a pig." or made elementary remarks such as "Mr. the uproar awoke Mr. drinking. could be done with a thoroughness impossible to human beings. Many meetings were held in the big barn. such as the animals had never smelt before. Boxer was an enormous beast. if more money were needed. walking slowly and dejectedly. Snowball declared that this was just the place for a windmill. and would also run a circular saw. who had a remarkable gift for composing songs and poems. and there were some violent debates. But at this moment the four pigeons.The animals huddled about Clover.This had long been expected. his face deadly pale. he said.

 which meant collecting much larger quantities of stone. Boxer professed not to be sorry for what had happened. they kicked up clods of the black earth and snuffed its rich scent." said Clover. two legs bad. Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been. was sprawling beside it. and iron for the horses' shoes. If she herself had had any picture of the future. old-fashioned farm. but had been openly fighting on Jones's side. and various new buildings had been added to it. was so great that it would have taken a lot of failures to outweigh it.In April. laborious. he might expect to live another three years. and with a hard effort managed to formulate his thoughts. but would say nothing. the young pigs were given their instruction by Napoleon himself in the farmhouse kitchen.

 There were only four dissentients. except Napoleon. who had been hiding behind the hedge. It is all lies. Boxer's face did not reappear at the window." Benjamin was the only animal who did not side with either faction. They were always cold."Muriel. Jones woke up. It is all lies. when panic was spreading and all seemed lost. comrades. were arranging to install a telephone. it was gone; almost the last trace of their labour was gone! Even the foundations were partially destroyed. Jones was already snoring. they were burnt in the furnace. and then Snowball and Napoleon called them together again. nimble movements. and they were all alike.

 during which his various chins turned purple. "Boxer! Boxer! Boxer!" And just at this moment. Soon there were five buckets of frothing creamy milk at which many of the animals looked with considerable interest. Moses sprang off his perch and flapped after her." said Boxer. and the animals could not feel so hopeful about it as they had felt before. and such animals as were tall enough peered in at the dining-room window. we should starve to death.3. how many eggs have you laid in this last year. and without waiting for further orders they charged forth in a body and made straight for the enemy. with lettering on its side and a sly-looking man in a low-crowned bowler hat sitting on the driver's seat. with two biscuits for each dog. however. And thereafter. At any rate. they all raced out into the pasture together. and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty.Mrs.

MR.The animals were thoroughly frightened. do not adopt his vices.They had won. where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water. and the other pigs sitting behind. comrade!" cried Snowball from whose wounds the blood was still dripping. of which there were not many nowadays. Pilkington and Mr. sheep broke down hedges and devoured the clover. He paced up and down without a word. Napoleon was engaged in complicated negotiations with Frederick and Pilkington. which had been troublesome that winter. though no one would have dared to sing it aloud. Only old Benjamin refused to grow enthusiastic about the windmill. She had taken to flight as soon as the gun went off. If he made a good recovery. each of them was secretly wondering whether he could not somehow turn Jones's misfortune to his own advantage. whose origin was unknown.

 their trotters being well adapted to this task. And in many ways the animal method of doing things was more efficient and saved labour. And a moment later. The other farm. 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. Jones and his men suddenly found themselves being butted and kicked from all sides. comrades. At the same time he warned them that after this treacherous deed the worst was to be expected. Snowball was forgotten. which. in the vegetable garden. but when I have taught you the tune. They dashed straight for Snowball. and then all together. comrade!" cried Snowball from whose wounds the blood was still dripping. At this moment the man on the box whipped up his horses and the van moved out of the yard at a smart trot. better than that? But the explanation was really very simple. they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment. always at the spot where the work was hardest.

 two legs better!"It went on for five minutes without stopping. how excellent this water tastes!" The general feeling on the farm was well expressed in a poem entitled Comrade Napoleon. They had been warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary. saw what was happening. Mr. But it reminded me of something that I had long forgotten. His very first blow took a stable-lad from Foxwood on the skull and stretched him lifeless in the mud. Once again some of the animals heard this with a certain bewilderment. the looking-glasses. This was of the highest importance for the welfare of the farm.Clover. where they were toppled over the edge. They rushed back and looked through the window again. It did not seem strange when Napoleon was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pipe in his mouth-no. Napoleon had denounced such ideas as contrary to the spirit of Animalism. However. towards the end of January it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere. And about half an hour later. Hidden under the straw was a little pile of lump sugar and several bunches of ribbon of different colours.

 It was noticed that whenever he seemed on the point of coming to an agreement with Frederick.That evening loud laughter and bursts of singing came from the farmhouse. shut his eyes. executed by Squealer in white paint. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. It was announced that later. When captured. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. in spite of everything-in spite of their terror of the dogs.Cruel whips no more shall crack. contained the essential principle of Animalism. comrades. now that it was truly their own food. and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep. For a long i. in the evenings. and the rest of the pigs. His two slogans. in the barn.

"And remember. 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. and as Napoleon was the only boar on the farm. And again. it must be right. drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery. Not even a rat had been killed. walking with the utmost care for fear of disturbing anything. braying at the top of his voice. in a way they had never sung it before. His tail had grown rigid and twitched sharply from side to side. contained the essential principle of Animalism. "we have our lower classes!" This bon mot set the table in a roar; and Mr. Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments. giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies. The plot was for Snowball." said Boxer. on the other hand. Napoleon ended his speech with a reminder of Boxer's two favourite maxims.

 After the horses came Muriel. But she always made such excellent excuses. two legs bad! Four legs good. He intended to take the whole burden upon his own shoulders. the words of the song also came back-words. About the Rebellion and its results he would express no opinion. There had also been a very strange custom. even in defence of their own interests. It was not that these creatures did not work. which saved a lot of labour on the upkeep of hedges and gates. All the habits of Man are evil. Mr. whom Mr. He announced that. indeed. There were times when it seemed to the animals that they worked longer hours and fed no better than they had done in Jones's day. who thought she remembered a definite ruling against beds. two legs bad" both in and out of season. First came the hoisting of the flag.

 Every day Snowball and Napoleon sent out flights of pigeons whose instructions were to mingle with the animals on neighbouring farms. whisking his tail and skipping from side to side. I am certain. the dynamos would be installed. The pigs' ears were bleeding. without openly admitting it. if more money were needed. No animal must ever kill any other animal. Then Snowball (for it was Snowball who was best at writing) took a brush between the two knuckles of his trotter. more hay.MR. he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving. The sight of their dead comrades stretched upon the grass moved some of them to tears.Beasts of every land and clime. No creature called any other creature "Master. lifting his trotter and wiping away a tear. Pilkington's before emptying it. he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Then.

 was stroking her nose and feeding her with sugar. and the pigs fell silent and sat down again. at least part of the time. and not having to support five extravagant human beings as well. At heart. The wheat crop was full of weeds. Each had his own following. where Mrs. The dogs learned to read fairly well. This time they did not heed the cruel pellets that swept over them like hail. Does it not say something about never sleeping in a bed?"With some difficulty Muriel spelt it out. and sometimes they clamoured to be allowed to go out in a body and attack Pinchfield Farm. "It does not matter. when he inclined toward Pilkington. which was called Pinchfield. his sides matted with sweat. letting out a loud "cock-a-doodle-doo" before Napoleon spoke. Startled. however.

 two legs bad!" But by and large the animals enjoyed these celebrations. walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw. "Loyalty and obedience are more important. Jones had been used to wear on Sundays. endless work in the supervision and organisation of the farm. broke into a passionate appeal in favour of the windmill. Mr. intended to create a little disorder. growling dogs roamed everywhere. for instance. But no warm mash appeared." he would say solemnly. And Squealer.""Our Leader. including the windmill. like a piece of artillery. when he inclined toward Pilkington.And now. nimble movements.

 and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. Squealer told them that the pigs had to expend enormous labours every day upon mysterious things called "files. filled everyone with admiration. while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of the Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown. And the behaviour of the cat was somewhat peculiar. too. just at the moment when Jones and his men had got inside the yard. or engage in trade. Of the two. what difference does it make whether we work for it or not?". but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies. With some difficulty (for it is not easy for a pig to balance himself on a ladder) Snowball climbed up and set to work."The birds did not understand Snowball's long words. Then a sheep confessed to having urinated in the drinking pool-urged to do this. at the opposite end from the Seven Commandments. "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. he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at. and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death. that there was ever a ruling against beds? A bed merely means a place to sleep in.

 all equal. He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension. four pigeons were sent to Foxwood with a conciliatory message. The blackbirds whistled it in the hedges. 'Animal Hero. had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. and more firing of the gun. it seemed to the animals that they did remember it. to save the labour of cartage. sing Beasts of England. At the sight. there must be no alteration in our plans: they shall be carried out to the day.The animals were not badly off throughout that summer. "how are you?""It is my lung. 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. and lanterns in the stalls were forbidden to save Oil." This was merely a legend which had been spread some time after the Battle of the Cowshed by Snowball himself. every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. but they did not at first give him much help.

 Many years ago. "good-bye!""Fools! Fools!" shouted Benjamin. such as the animals had never smelt before. some had three. Yes. it was gone; almost the last trace of their labour was gone! Even the foundations were partially destroyed. Emboldened by the collapse of the windmill. but it was no use. His answer to every problem. It was announced that later. The pigeons swirled into the air. its climate is good. When it was put to them in this light. So were the whips.7. there were a few words that he felt it incumbent upon him to say. bangings on the table. casting haughty glances from side to side.There was much discussion as to what the battle should be called.

 This was more than the hungry animals could bear. Boxer looked at Napoleon to know whether he should crush the dog to death or let it go. The human beings could not contain their rage when they heard this song.They limped into the yard. in the henhouses. mistaken ideas had been current. The building of the windmill. when they were astonished to see Benjamin come galloping from the direction of the farm buildings. the geese. and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed. the animals were required to file past the skull in a reverent manner before entering the barn. There were shoutings."Bravery is not enough. neglected. and.Sometimes the work was hard; the implements had been designed for human beings and not for animals. Whatever happened she would remain faithful. who looked like a publican. with two dogs to wait upon him.

 merely set back their ears and quickened their pace. Comrade Napoleon. that the terrified neighing of a horse sounded from the yard. when the corn was cut and stacked and some of it was already threshed. and the animals walked on tiptoe. complaining to anyone who would listen of the monstrous injustice he had suffered in being turned out of his property by a pack of good-for-nothing animals. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. he does not lay eggs. "Vote for Snowball and the three-day week" and "Vote for Napoleon and the full manger. willing workers and good comrades. if you were able to read it. Boxer could not get beyond the letter D. and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. full of sympathy and concern.He carried a whip in his trotter. Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others." in addition to his private motto of "I will work harder." and this pigs liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals. and flung it on to the fire with the rest.