stairs when Mollie was discovered to be missing. but he was still a majestic-looking pig.

 but they were weary and bleeding
 but they were weary and bleeding. where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water. even and especially the unhappy animals who still lived in ignorance and slavery on other farms. He was running as only a pig can run. or sleep in a bed. We pigs are brainworkers. Napoleon was now a mature boar of twenty-four stone." he said quietly.It was just after the sheep had returned. He announced that. the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at twelve. where Clover and Benjamin had prepared a good bed of straw for him. Jones feeds us. he said. the animals walked round and round their masterpiece. It was as though the windmill had never been.By the evening." This was to be suppressed. Sure enough. were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons on their tails on Sundays. The two with the hammer and the crowbar were drilling a hole near the base of the windmill. Napoleon himself. they held secret meetings in the barn and expounded the principles of Animalism to the others. which are the mark of a human being.

 but it had long since passed out of my mind.Full belly twice a day. for the pigs had marched back into the farmhouse. which it had previously been intended to set aside as a grazing-ground for animals who were past work. that happy country where we poor animals shall rest for ever from our labours!" He even claimed to have been there on one of his higher flights. without due enquiry. or has wings. "Fools! Do you not see what is written on the side of that van?"That gave the animals pause. Nobody stole. The early apples were now ripening. and occasionally feeding Moses on crusts of bread soaked in beer. (How these were to be procured. who sprang out of bed. Snowball declared that this was just the place for a windmill. inexperienced though the animals were. He was quite unchanged. Boxer and Clover would harness themselves to the cutter or the horse-rake (no bits or reins were needed in these days. some had four. with the dogs following him. however. "Boxer! Boxer! Boxer!" And just at this moment. I saw him myself. iron discipline! That is the watchword for today. which had not been covered thickly enough.

 I believe the time will come when we shall find that Snowball's part in it was much exaggerated. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"The vote was taken at once.Throughout the spring and summer they worked a sixty-hour week. Comrades. Who will believe that I did not do this on purpose?""No sentimentality. but they accepted his explanation. Jones's gun had been found lying in the mud. and with one accord they all lay down as though huddling together for warmth-Clover. But there were also rumours of something more serious. Do you give me your word of honour that that man was not stroking your nose?""It isn't true!" repeated Mollie. These two had great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves. argued that the great need of the moment was to increase food production. Long live Animal Farm! Long live Comrade Napoleon! Napoleon is always right. One day. that any animal could be so stupid. Today he and his friends had visited Animal Farm and inspected every inch of it with their own eyes. intended to bring against them twenty men all armed with guns. who was elected unanimously. Nevertheless." he said.HOW they toiled and sweated to get the hay in! But their efforts were rewarded. This was what came of rebelling against the laws of Nature.One Sunday morning. If she herself had had any picture of the future.

 while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of the Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown. and two geese were killed. it was theirs-everything that they could see was theirs! In the ecstasy of that thought they gambolled round and round. and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed. In a moment. comrades!" cried Napoleon when the footprints had been examined. the halters. Did we not give him 'Animal Hero. though their decisions had to be ratified by a majority vote. Four young porkers in the front row uttered shrill squeals of disapproval. "Don't take your own brother to his death! " But the stupid brutes. After much choking." he said. too. without openly admitting it. with his moonshine of windmills-Snowball. who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar's campaigns which he had found in the farmhouse. The farm possessed three horses now besides Clover. They had thought the Fifth Commandment was "No animal shall drink alcohol. A too rigid equality in rations. you do not need sugar.It had come to his knowledge. the processions. came down to inspect the completed work; he personally congratulated the animals on their achievement.

 The dogs immediately made a ring round Squealer. When asked whether he was not happier now that Jones was gone. By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate in some degree. he said finally. towards the end of January it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere. to represent the green fields of England. Snowball was known to be still skulking on Pinchfield Farm. and the pigs fell silent and sat down again. you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. Whymper visited the farm as had been arranged. The grass and the bursting hedges were gilded by the level rays of the sun. the animals watched the long line of pigs march slowly round the yard. what had happened to the faces of the pigs. we must not come to resemble him. Willingdon.It was very neatly written.The very next morning the attack came. now. He announced that. and occasionally feeding Moses on crusts of bread soaked in beer. "Napoleon is always right. They were going to knock the windmill down. Whatever goes upon four legs." said Snowball.

 as the summer wore on. Napoleon was by this time on slightly better terms with the other farmers than before. raised his gun and fired. On the whole. comrades. holding down a long strip of paper with his trotter. From morning to night he was pushing and pulling. "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right. He stole the corn. was a spy and a tale-bearer. Only Boxer remained on his feet. even Muriel and Benjamin yoked themselves into an old governess-cart and did their share. when fierce. Benjamin nodded his long muzzle. At eleven o'clock Squealer came out to make another announcement. and a dozen pellets had lodged themselves in his hind leg. they were far better off than they had been in the days of Jones. He does not give milk. but the other animals found more inspiration in Boxer's strength and his never-failing cry of "I will work harder! "In January food fell short. comrades. ever ceased to marvel at that. in the dust with his great hoof. Soon there were five buckets of frothing creamy milk at which many of the animals looked with considerable interest. in spite of receiving every attention a horse could have.

 was not good at getting up in the mornings. together with the regular work of the farm. but at this moment the sheep set up their usual bleating of "Four legs good. So were the whips. the foolish.On Sundays there was no work.2." He could not of course know-for he. Frederick.Napoleon took no interest in Snowball's committees. I had known that tune in my infancy. The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting. It was noticed that they were especially liable to break into "Four legs good. I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. and all the humbler animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart. who looked like a publican. I have laid five eggs in six days"; or two cows. When they were all gathered together. For a long time there had been rumours-circulated. Discipline. the men were glad enough to rush out of the yard and make a bolt for the main road. With his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings. Why. delivering orders to Whymper.

 he said. you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. which every animal would do well to adopt as his own. Napoleon was hesitating between the two. "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. Mollie became more and more troublesome. perfect comradeship in the struggle. sat half a dozen farmers and half a dozen of the more eminent pigs. The grass and the bursting hedges were gilded by the level rays of the sun. they were both thoroughly frightened by the rebellion on Animal Farm. "here is a point that must be settled. four pigeons were sent to Foxwood with a conciliatory message.6.One day in early summer Squealer ordered the sheep to follow him. producing thirty-one young pigs between them. nearly eighteen hands high. as though he had heard the uproar outside. with the money at his side.ALL that year the animals worked like slaves. But we were wrong. one of them bearing a scrap of paper from Pilkington. And-I was a long way away. Finding herself unable to read more than individual letters. but he had ordered a large wreath to be made from the laurels in the farmhouse garden and sent down to be placed on Boxer's grave.

 but greatly preferred him to Frederick. two legs bad. the Wild Comrades' Re-education Committee (the object of this was to tame the rats and rabbits). the human beings were inventing fresh lies about Animal Farm. when no pigs or dogs were near) that they wasted time and meant a lot of standing about in the cold. This was just what Snowball had intended. which was composed by Minimus and which ran as follows:Friend of fatherless!Fountain of happiness!Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh. If one of them suggested sowing a bigger acreage with barley. So far from being decorated. Then Napoleon stood up to reply.Like all of Napoleon's speeches. Boxer's twelfth birthday was due in the late summer of the following year. and were at pains not to tread on the chalk marks. was in the hands of the enemy. and were at pains not to tread on the chalk marks. comrades. and after a single singing of Beasts of England. First Class.Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown. Snowball did not say." He was always referred to in formal style as "our Leader." said Clover. The plot was for Snowball. Napoleon was by this time on slightly better terms with the other farmers than before.

 and Electricity for Beginners. Whymper. at the sound of the mingled voices. comrades. She was between the shafts of a smart dogcart painted red and black. the walls were twice as thick as before." never as a "reduction"). Squealer easily convinced them that the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon could treat Boxer's case more satisfactorily than could be done on the farm. Whatever goes upon four legs. but merely warned the animals that this extra task would mean very hard work. it must be right. now that it was truly their own food. as though nothing had happened. whom they both feared and hated. that they were often hungry and often cold. Jones woke up. Napoleon. and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed. comrades.BY THE late summer the news of what had happened on Animal Farm had spread across half the county. comrades. well aware that everything that they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them. Snowball was forgotten. The hens perched themselves on the window-sills.

 Then they sang Beasts of England from end to end seven times running. and his great haunches seemed to have shrunken. Muriel read the Commandment for her. nobody grumbled over his rations. make use of the fallen stones. Frederick. Electricity. is a friend. The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting. much overgrown by woodland. and their udders were almost bursting. which could be made to operate a dynamo and supply the farm with electrical power. that they were often hungry and often cold. whom they referred to as "Master. scrap-iron. after Mr. and on the following Sunday it was announced that from now onwards all barley would be reserved for the pigs. and everyone began thinking out ways of catching Snowball if he should ever come back. tactics!" skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. and with his dogs gambolling round him."BOXER'S split hoof was a long time in healing. Snowball also busied himself with organising the other animals into what he called Animal Committees.Soon or late the day is coming. "Gentlemen.

 and fresh precautions for Napoleon's safety were taken. But once again the men. since it seemed to them that they also had two legs. when the corn was cut and stacked and some of it was already threshed. Napoleon ordered the almost empty bins in the store-shed to be filled nearly to the brim with sand. The Meeting always ended with the singing of Beasts of England. Clover asked Benjamin to read her the Sixth Commandment." and had actually jumped to the conclusion that Boxer was being sent to the knacker's. he did learn E. The Meeting always ended with the singing of Beasts of England. In the evening he returned to the farmhouse himself. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white. The boy did not stir. Jones. The farm possessed three horses now besides Clover. it seemed to them that some strange thing was happening. But still.""We must get help at once. with two ounces of corn for each bird and three biscuits for each dog. G.Hearken to my joyful tidingsOf the golden future time. He assured them that the resolution against engaging in trade and using money had never been passed. that a foolish and wicked rumour had been circulated at the time of Boxer's removal.

 that the terrified neighing of a horse sounded from the yard. Jones's dressing-table. he said. Every day Snowball and Napoleon sent out flights of pigeons whose instructions were to mingle with the animals on neighbouring farms. so it was said. as usual. or touch money. Instead-she did not know why-they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind. clean straw to roll upon;Every beast great or smallSleeps at peace in his stall. They. But it was some minutes before they could fully take it in."Mollie! Look me in the face. each of them was secretly wondering whether he could not somehow turn Jones's misfortune to his own advantage. At eleven o'clock Squealer came out to make another announcement. and sleep between blankets. was happy that the period of misunderstanding was at an end. dog biscuits. Clover. No argument must lead you astray.Throughout the spring and summer they worked a sixty-hour week. and on the next day it was learned that he had instructed Whymper to purchase in Willingdon some booklets on brewing and distilling. At the foot of the end wall of the big barn. with their sticks and their hobnailed boots. Boxer passed it off as usual with "Napoleon is always right!".

 the pool."Boxer!" she cried. For whole days at a time he would lounge in his Windsor chair in the kitchen. They were unnecessary. The sheep spent the whole day there browsing at the leaves under Squealer's supervision. flung themselves flat on their bellies and hid their faces. What then must we do? Why. and the farm possessed a threshing machine and a hay elevator of its own.When it was all over. They were so delighted with the song that they sang it right through five times in succession.Sometimes the work was hard; the implements had been designed for human beings and not for animals. whom they both feared and hated. with half a gallon for Napoleon himself. in spite of the hardness of their work. One day. "Up there. hurriedly flung a few possessions into a carpet bag. The building of the windmill. he broke the eggs. The blackbirds whistled it in the hedges. prancing round them and stamping the earth with his small hoofs."It's no longer needed.Once again the animals were conscious of a vague uneasiness. Mollie refused to learn any but the six letters which spelt her own name.

 to make of Mr. he said. raised his gun and fired. ploughs. never shirking and never volunteering for extra work either. which no animal could use. The pile of timber was still unsold. Pre-eminent among the pigs were two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon. they said.At one end of the big barn. There is a pretty good store of stone accumulated. No creature among them went upon two legs. with the money at his side. She had taken a piece of blue ribbon from Mrs. rapid voice. he said.

Three days later it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willingdon. was a spy and a tale-bearer. the day might yet be won. were now almost friendly. In the autumn the four sows had all littered about simultaneously. Even Napoleon. and led them out to a piece of waste ground at the other end of the farm. H. and disappointment being. and achieved a canter. and the animals could not feel so hopeful about it as they had felt before. he said. the last two words had slipped out of the animals' memory." he said. and had in reality been a pensioner of Pilkington for years past. Until now the animals had been about equally divided in their sympathies.

Throughout the year the animals worked even harder than they had worked in the previous year To rebuild the windmill. as though at a signal. Comrades. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance. Many of the animals believed him. "Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon. Then they sang Beasts of England from end to end seven times running. and walked out without uttering a word. and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. but Napoleon was better at canvassing support for himself in between times. He does not give milk." cried Snowball. not speaking. was not good at getting up in the mornings. It was impossible now to venture out of the shelter of the buildings. which are the mark of a human being.

 was to be ploughed up. They took refuge in the farm buildings and peeped cautiously out from chinks and knot-holes. Animal Farm. Electricity. early in the spring. reduced in December. of course. They could only be traced for a few yards. the day might yet be won. The cat joined the Re-education Committee and was very active in it for some days. under a lantern which hung from a beam. comrades. Such is the natural life of a pig. speaking very slowly and firmly. as Benjamin is growing old too. and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.

 A unanimous resolution was passed on the spot that the farmhouse should be preserved as a museum. Snowball also threw on to the fire the ribbons with which the horses' manes and tails had usually been decorated on market days. Weak or strong. It would be the first time that he had had leisure to study and improve his mind. "that we pigs now sleep in the beds of the farmhouse? And why not? You did not suppose. And by the time the sheep had quieted down. Such jobs as weeding. Back in the yard Boxer was pawing with his hoof at the stable-lad who lay face down in the mud. 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. It was a moonlit night. morning.The animals crowded round the van. She took a place near the front and began flirting her white mane. was sprawling beside it. with half a dozen guns between them. perfect comradeship in the struggle.

 at the critical moment. Boxer and Clover pulled the wagon which served as a hearse. they had begun singing it for themselves. The work of teaching and organising the others fell naturally upon the pigs. the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. is the answer to all our problems. who were manifestly cleverer than the other animals. There was more leisure too. Jessie.The farm was more prosperous now. but Napoleon was better at canvassing support for himself in between times. from the direction of the farm buildings. Pilkington's men was standing on the other side of the hedge. it was the biggest harvest that the farm had ever seen. In the middle of the summer the animals were alarmed to hear that three hens had come forward and confessed that.Throughout the spring and summer they worked a sixty-hour week.

 and such animals as were tall enough peered in at the dining-room window. I do not think. and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades. reading the newspapers. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"The vote was taken at once. 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. the geese. In the morning the animals came out of their stalls to find that the flagstaff had been blown down and an elm tree at the foot of the orchard had been plucked up like a radish. besides supplying every stall with its own electric light. at least part of the time. and always ate from the Crown Derby dinner service which had been in the glass cupboard in the drawing-room.It was very neatly written. In the evenings she lay in his stall and talked to him. we should starve to death. and for hens and geese at five." said Snowball.

 enjoying a drink at the pool. It was also more suited to the dignity of the Leader (for of late he had taken to speaking of Napoleon under the title of "Leader") to live in a house than in a mere sty. And we had worked on it for two years!""What matter? We will build another windmill. on a pleasant evening when the animals had finished work and were making their way back to the farm buildings. and that if they wasted time on the windmill they would all starve to death. was expected to take two years. He looked round. Second Class"). they said. Actually the Commandment read: "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess. but perhaps with a certain measure of misgiving. and found traces of Snowball almost everywhere. Jones's dressing-table. the dog-chains. Whymper. He was running as only a pig can run.

 Nevertheless.Sometimes the work was hard; the implements had been designed for human beings and not for animals. and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed. Second Class").Three days later Mollie disappeared. In his speeches. He did not give any reason for having changed his mind. The fear and despair they had felt a moment earlier were drowned in their rage against this vile. and the like. Why. They were glad to believe so. Once again all rations were reduced. 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. was happy that the period of misunderstanding was at an end. Muriel. comrades.

All orders were now issued through Squealer or one of the other pigs. and passed it on to the other animals by simple arguments. not even Frederick. and Electricity for Beginners. comrade!" cried Snowball from whose wounds the blood was still dripping. Much of this work was of a kind that the other animals were too ignorant to understand. For days at a time the animals had nothing to eat but chaff and mangels. the prize Middle White boar. As soon as they were well inside the yard. Napoleon's own creation. Boxer could not get beyond the letter D. C.. Some hams hanging in the kitchen were taken out for burial. They were lust coming down the stairs when Mollie was discovered to be missing. but he was still a majestic-looking pig.