managing their own affairs. or any of the present company.

 make use of the fallen stones
 make use of the fallen stones. how excellent this water tastes!" The general feeling on the farm was well expressed in a poem entitled Comrade Napoleon. they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. Hitherto the animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits: now. One of them. They were the same four pigs as had protested when Napoleon abolished the Sunday Meetings. His answer to every problem. And at the end.Riches more than mind can picture. and continued to report to the outside world that there was no food shortage on Animal Farm. Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond." said Snowball. The whole of the big pasture. too. and talked in the same strain as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. and reapers and binders. A cow. they studied blacksmithing. the degrading nosebags.

 and various others. The dogs had suddenly caught sight of them. They were struck dumb with surprise when Napoleon announced that he had sold the pile of timber to Frederick. broke into a passionate appeal in favour of the windmill. Only old Benjamin was much the same as ever. which was the signal for retreat. were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased. Such is the natural life of a pig.Nevertheless. He believed that he was right in saying that the lower animals on Animal Farm did more work and received less food than any animals in the county. and they were all alike. as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet. and we will build all through the winter. the admirable care he had received. The animals were weeding the turnip field.All the animals were now present except Moses. and with a hard effort managed to formulate his thoughts. and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. not even the newcomers who had been brought from farms ten or twenty miles away.

 his voice was hoarse. and as soon as they were so covered. The animals hated Moses because he told tales and did no work.Mrs. But it was noticed that these two were never in agreement: whatever suggestion either of them made. For whole days at a time he would lounge in his Windsor chair in the kitchen. inspired by Snowball." he said. as usual. 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. The hens woke up squawking with terror because they had all dreamed simultaneously of hearing a gun go off in the distance. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white. And in rebuilding it they could not this time. Their method was to fly up to the rafters and there lay their eggs. he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees. drive out the humans. and the fluttering of the flag." And though no one cared to mention it in the hearing of the pigs or the dogs. They found it comforting to be reminded that.

 and a dozen pellets had lodged themselves in his hind leg. "good-bye!""Fools! Fools!" shouted Benjamin. From morning to night he was pushing and pulling. and had taken out subscriptions to John Bull. comrades. They were going to knock the windmill down. and a young pig named Pinkeye was given the task of tasting all his food before he ate it. Boxer!" they chorused. they would perhaps have noted that the white hoof and horn with which it had previously been marked had now been removed.He carried a whip in his trotter. walking slowly and dejectedly. But it reminded me of something that I had long forgotten. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. was in the hands of the enemy. So far from being decorated. and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon's papers. except Jones. he said finally. He lay down.

 never criticising. speaking very slowly and firmly. but they were frightened to go inside. who seldom asked questions. Napoleon was now a mature boar of twenty-four stone. for dogs at nine. This was of the highest importance for the welfare of the farm." said Squealer stiffly. Here. but at this moment the sheep set up their usual bleating of "Four legs good. without due enquiry. The stupidest questions of all were asked by Mollie. then that it would never work.That evening loud laughter and bursts of singing came from the farmhouse. That night there came from the farmhouse the sound of loud singing. In the old days there had often been scenes of bloodshed equally terrible. he could detect by the smell. except Clover. lifting his trotter and wiping away a tear.

 Jones had spent sitting in the taproom of the Red Lion at Willingdon. But all such doubts were now dispelled. Soon there were five buckets of frothing creamy milk at which many of the animals looked with considerable interest. Some of them had five chins. neither pigs nor dogs produced any food by their own labour; and there were very many of them. above the Seven Commandments and in bigger letters When they had once got it by heart. They put it about that the animals on the Manor Farm (they insisted on calling it the Manor Farm; they would not tolerate the name "Animal Farm") were perpetually fighting among themselves and were also rapidly starving to death. comrade-that Snowball was Jones's agent from the very beginning-yes. who was a dangerous character and a bad influence. Some of the pigs themselves. the lithograph of Queen Victoria over the drawing-room mantelpiece. comrades. Snowball explained.There were many more creatures on the farm now. it came back to me in my dream. three sheep. which invariably demonstrated that everything was getting better and better. and the skull had already been buried. TWO LEGS BAD.

. But alas! his strength had left him; and in a few moments the sound of drumming hoofs grew fainter and died away. Without any further prompting they confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion. With the worthless parasitical human beings gone. no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind."Now. They found it comforting to be reminded that. and basic slag. it would have to be made up by the sale of eggs. And very comfortable beds they are too! But not more comfortable than we need. Whymper to spread a contrary impression. but issued his orders through one of the other pigs. Clover tried to stir her stout limbs to a gallop. The animals watched them. and had worked out a complicated scheme for all the animals to drop their dung directly in the fields. The animals hated Moses because he told tales and did no work. He had flogged an old horse to death. how many eggs have you laid in this last year. but he was still a majestic-looking pig.

" which was conferred there and then on Snowball and Boxer. the sheep developed a great liking for this maxim. Comrade Napoleon. In a moment the dogs came bounding back. and Benjamin. such as rats and rabbits-are they our friends or our enemies? Let us put it to the vote. the mighty thing that we have done. The other animals understood how to vote. the words of the song also came back-words. however. The animals listened first to Napoleon. in spite of inexperience. Napoleon took them away from their mothers. kicked. and the three-day week. 'Animal Hero. Snowball has sold himself to Frederick of Pinchfield Farm. On the whole. The time had been when a few kicks from Boxer's hoofs would have smashed the van to matchwood.

 was in charge of the defensive operations. wire. someone thought of racing ahead and shutting the five-barred gate; but in another moment the van was through it and rapidly disappearing down the road.Bright will shine the fields of England. Sugarcandy Mountain. and the cleverer ones at once began to learn the Commandments by heart. One of them all but closed his jaws on Snowball's tail. one of them bearing a scrap of paper from Pilkington. was its correct and original name. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions. of which there were not many nowadays. occasionally snuffing at the ground. he would utter nothing beyond the cryptic remark that donkeys live a long time. fifteen pounds of hay."Frightened though they were. and walked out without uttering a word. which was named Foxwood. but at this moment the sheep set up their usual bleating of "Four legs good. but Snowball proved to them that this was not so.

 but it had long since passed out of my mind. Some did it better than others." said Clover. He was. especially from Clover. it was he who had actually been the leader of the human forces. which was standing outside a public-house. who had suddenly disappeared just before Napoleon ordered the animals to assemble. better than that? But the explanation was really very simple. the tame raven. Snowball also busied himself with organising the other animals into what he called Animal Committees. trampled on. but Boxer paid no attention. When it was all gone. Jones. 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. there was the schoolhouse for the young pigs. hens. They were going to knock the windmill down.

 He himself dashed straight for Jones. It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. How these were to be procured. Then there were lamp oil and candles for the house. except the cat.' immediately afterwards?""That was our mistake. beans. Can you not understand that liberty is worth more than ribbons? "Mollie agreed. The pigs did not actually work. who was Mr. Snowball did not say. Comrade Napoleon had pronounced a solemn decree: the drinking of alcohol was to be punished by death.None of the other animals on the farm could get further than the letter A. for the harvest was an even bigger success than they had hoped. had all been prepared. and the worst tempered. such as rats and rabbits-are they our friends or our enemies? Let us put it to the vote. and iron for the horses' shoes. shrewd man.

Two days later the animals were called together for a special meeting in the barn. Animal Farm was proclaimed a Republic. and the pigs had to argue very hard to persuade them that there was no such place. Whatever happened she would remain faithful. And in a few days' time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in Boxer's honour. hens.Yes. a contract for four hundred eggs a week." said Boxer. occasionally snuffing at the ground. chewing at a lump of sugar. that is different!" said Boxer. Willingdon. Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"The vote was taken at once. then the cows. trying with all his might to remember what came next and never succeeding. Suddenly he slipped and it seemed certain that they had him. Finally he said:"I do not understand it.

 and to fire it twice a year-once on October the twelfth. it was not from feeding tyrannical human beings; if they worked hard. but appeared to lead to a hole in the hedge. the degrading nosebags. Rations. Mollie became more and more troublesome. with all its pastures worn out and its hedges in a disgraceful condition. he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving. He announced that. who had been lying in ambush in the cowshed. Then the sheep broke out into a tremendous bleating of "Four legs good. except by the few who had known him. About the Rebellion and its results he would express no opinion. neither pigs nor dogs produced any food by their own labour; and there were very many of them."To celebrate our victory!" cried Squealer. the hayfield. Curiously enough. The dogs flanked the procession and at the head of all marched Napoleon's black cockerel. There were more songs.

 the crowing of the cockerel. saying that he would make himself responsible for their education. Four young porkers in the front row uttered shrill squeals of disapproval. and Benjamin7 who lay down at Boxer's side. that they worked shorter hours. was able to put the whole matter in its proper perspective. Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been. but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were urgently necessary. He called the animals together and told them that he had a terrible piece of news to impart." which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion. early in the spring. the foolish. With some difficulty (for it is not easy for a pig to balance himself on a ladder) Snowball climbed up and set to work. which had not been covered thickly enough. were arranging to install a telephone. and that they were usually working when they were not asleep. two legs bad!" But by and large the animals enjoyed these celebrations. with the nine young dogs forming a semicircle round them. except Clover.

 some days afterwards. Nobody stole. Major continued:"I have little more to say. while. No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day. They rushed back and looked through the window again. and Benjamin7 who lay down at Boxer's side. With tears in their eyes they asked one another what they should do if their Leader were taken away from them. at least part of the time."He is dead. but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain.Afterwards Squealer was sent round the farm to explain the new arrangement to the others. work night and day. but in a different form. which were in his own possession. He did not give any reason for having changed his mind. They all cowered silently in their places. No animal shall wear clothes. the three cows.

 carry out the orders that were given to her. Never had the farm-and with a kind of surprise they remembered that it was their own farm. and the other pigs sitting behind. Pilkington; he was also going to enter into a regular agreement for the exchange of certain products between Animal Farm and Foxwood. He was quite unchanged. The corn ration was drastically reduced. and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly. running faster than ever. He talked learnedly about field drains. however. what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them. the hayfield. They ran thus:THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS1. and he had already bribed the magistrates and police. with both simultaneously. a sudden rumour ran round the farm that something had happened to Boxer. Comrade Snowball will lead the way. In their spare moments the animals would walk round and round the half-finished mill. was so great that it would have taken a lot of failures to outweigh it.

 which was called Pinchfield. Without saying anything. he upset the milk-pails. Soon there were five buckets of frothing creamy milk at which many of the animals looked with considerable interest. Her old eyes looked dimmer than ever. At the same time he warned them that after this treacherous deed the worst was to be expected. is to work harder. His men were idle and dishonest. Jones was hurled into a pile of dung and his gun flew out of his hands. which smashed to pieces on the floor. the human beings were inventing fresh lies about Animal Farm. was its correct and original name. more processions. There were shoutings. since the farm possessed no threshing machine-but the pigs with their cleverness and Boxer with his tremendous muscles always pulled them through. to make of Mr. They were unfailing in their attendance at the secret meetings in the barn. He gave it as his opinion that Snowball had probably come from the direction of Foxwood Farm. If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up.

 with a carrot or possibly an apple on public holidays. The dog shrieked for mercy and the other two fled with their tails between their legs. You do not appreciate. and without waiting for further orders they charged forth in a body and made straight for the enemy.""Ah. two legs bad!" and keep it up for hours on end. what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them. and the men easily drove the geese off with their sticks. who happened to be passing at this moment. with two ounces of corn for each bird and three biscuits for each dog. Surely. pigs. seemed quite unchanged since the Rebellion. The earth was like iron. Napoleon produced no schemes of his own. he said. None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant. He announced that. "I will work harder" and "Comrade Napoleon is always right"-maxims.

 at least part of the time. nearly eighteen hands high. None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant. "should be considered as clothes.Cruel whips no more shall crack. This very morning we begin rebuilding the windmill."Why?" cried Muriel. Even when you have conquered him. was no better than a criminal?""He fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. Napoleon was so gratified that he left his place and came round the table to clink his mug against Mr. each working according to his capacity. The animals now also learned that Snowball had never-as many of them had believed hitherto-received the order of "Animal Hero7 First Class. Only old Benjamin was much the same as ever. with walls twice as thick as before. But she always made such excellent excuses. In the end. Napoleon ended his speech with his usual cry of "Long live Animal Farm!" and after the singing of Beasts of England the animals were dismissed. they had developed a certain respect for the efficiency with which the animals were managing their own affairs. or any of the present company.