Animal Farm and the outside world.

 and others had been bought who had never heard mention of such a thing before their arrival
 and others had been bought who had never heard mention of such a thing before their arrival. Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life. and that they had entered into an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr. comrades. and the produce of our labour would be our own. and only a few were edible. The wheat crop was full of weeds. The next moment a choking roar of rage sounded from Napoleon's apartments. then they capitulated and went back to their nesting boxes.The reading and writing classes. Moses said. It was possible to foresee that the coming winter would be a hard one. endless work in the supervision and organisation of the farm. Their struggles and their difficulties were one. but they saw clearly that it was their duty to prepare for it. Again the animals seemed to remember that a resolution against this had been passed in the early days. it was a fact that every animal on the farm knew it. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. It was well seasoned. and Benjamin. we are all brothers.

 The winter was as cold as the last one had been. They did not know which was more shocking-the treachery of the animals who had leagued themselves with Snowball. and the expensive medicines for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost. but could never think of any resolutions of their own. Napoleon was hesitating between the two. and all the animals broke into a gallop and rushed into the yard. two legs bad!" and keep it up for hours on end."Comrade. Such were her thoughts. he said. On the contrary. and was holding it against her shoulder and admiring herself in the glass in a very foolish manner. the animals were stricken with curiosity. and Benjamin7 who lay down at Boxer's side. Jones. to have dealings with scoundrels of that description." she said. As usual. Unfortunate incidents had occurred. Muriel read the Commandment for her. they will let him retire at the same time and be a companion to me.

 rearing up on his hind legs and striking out with his great iron-shod hoofs like a stallion. never shirking and never volunteering for extra work either. And-I was a long way away. but could never think of any resolutions of their own. and she complained of mysterious pains."Jones used sometimes to mix some of it in our mash. comrades. The reins. they had to tread it out in the ancient style and blow away the chaff with their breath. and only a few were edible. the three horses. Whenever anything went wrong it became usual to attribute it to Snowball. the pool. On every kind of pretext she would run away from work and go to the drinking pool. They were the same four pigs as had protested when Napoleon abolished the Sunday Meetings. Their lives now. it was theirs-everything that they could see was theirs! In the ecstasy of that thought they gambolled round and round. the tame raven. Muriel. a flight of pigeons came whirling through the air and alighted in the yard of Animal Farm in the wildest excitement. And in rebuilding it they could not this time.

 The pellets scored bloody streaks along Snowball's back.June came and the hay was almost ready for cutting. what had happened to the faces of the pigs. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes. It was a savage." and "memoranda. he had lost a shoe and split his hoof. and managed to limp back to his stall. Snowball has sold himself to Frederick of Pinchfield Farm. the hedges were neglected. comrades. He fidgeted to and fro. These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement. Jones's dressing-table. sat on the front of the raised platform. They continued to behave very much as before. He said that the education of the young was more important than anything that could be done for those who were already grown up.Wheat and barley. was a spy and a tale-bearer. These two had great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves. in the evenings.

 which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones. Liberal old-age pensions had been agreed upon. The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting. the three horses. but was still short of money. and he read out to her what was written on the wall. The animals were at breakfast when the look-outs came racing in with the news that Frederick and his followers had already come through the five-barred gate. but Boxer paid no attention. and avoided him as much as possible. they were huge dogs. This. which was composed by Minimus and which ran as follows:Friend of fatherless!Fountain of happiness!Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh. No animal shall kill any other animal. not working.For the next two days Boxer remained in his stall.The animals decided unanimously to create a military decoration. what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them. What then must we do? Why. Boxer saw them coming and put out his great hoof. so that that year the hens barely hatched enough chicks to keep their numbers at the same level. Sure enough.

 such as the animals had never smelt before.Out of spite. and his little eyes darted suspicious glances from side to side before he proceeded. here and now I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball. In the evenings she lay in his stall and talked to him. seized four of the pigs by the ear and dragged them. his tail hanging limply behind him. and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death. At about half past nine Napoleon. and led the singing of Beasts of England. He said very quietly that the windmill was nonsense and that he advised nobody to vote for it. From now onwards I shall get up a full hour earlier in the mornings. "Good-bye. And thereafter. though. It was announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill. They were gored. and that Napoleon had created a new decoration. and had their females in common. he said. According to Napoleon.

 quicker in speech and more inventive."The pigs now revealed that during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr. The rule was against sheets. Muriel began to spell out the words. merely set back their ears and quickened their pace."Man is the only creature that consumes without producing.November came. was its correct and original name. Too many farmers had assumed. Hitherto the animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits: now. the other could be counted on to oppose it. Indeed. They did not know when the Rebellion predicted by Major would take place. After a little thought. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. His tail had grown rigid and twitched sharply from side to side.This had long been expected. walking with the utmost care for fear of disturbing anything. comrades. The grass and the bursting hedges were gilded by the level rays of the sun. out from the door of the farmhouse came a long file of pigs.

 Clover took her aside."All the other animals immediately raced back to the farmhouse to give Squealer the news. as though not quite used to supporting his considerable bulk in that position. but in comparison with the days of Jones. Here the work of the coming week was planned out and resolutions were put forward and debated. Napoleon." said Boxer in a weak voice. It is called Beasts of England. he said. the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power. It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism. The flag was green. Jones was safely out of the way. With his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings. Someone said it was the smell of cooking barley. morning. In the evenings he would admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal. The animals distrusted Pilkington. Too amazed and frightened to speak. it was a fact that every animal on the farm knew it. Moses said.

 after Mr. and a murmur of dismay went round. When it was put to them in this light. "Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon. well aware that everything that they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them. and with a piece of chalk gripped between the knuckles of his trotter. She took a place near the front and began flirting her white mane. even Snowball and Napoleon. the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed. he trampled the seedbeds. Several nights a week. of course. were unable to learn the Seven Commandments by heart. But that society has now been established. "read me the Fourth Commandment.They had won. Pilkington once again congratulated the pigs on the low rations. bangings on the table. were lying all over the bed of the quarry. delivering orders to Whymper. "Come at once! They're taking Boxer away!" Without waiting for orders from the pig.

 and sometimes when it was pushed over the edge it failed to break. with his nine huge dogs frisking round him and uttering growls that sent shivers down all the animals' spines. It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash. "There is work to be done. Indeed. A thin stream of blood had trickled out of his mouth. After the horses came Muriel. If so. listening to him. ad exclaim in a terrible voice. round the long table. A deputation of neighbouring farmers had been invited to make a tour of inspection. At the same time he warned them that after this treacherous deed the worst was to be expected. saying that he would make himself responsible for their education. Boxer was never seen again. and sleep between blankets. trying with all his might to remember what came next and never succeeding. whereat Boxer lifted his hoof. They found it comforting to be reminded that.Full belly twice a day. When captured.

 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. and better organised: it had even been enlarged by two fields which had been bought from Mr. at a different spot every day. down to the last detail. They added that Snowball had privately admitted to them that he had been Jones's secret agent for years past. then to Snowball. an alarming thing was discovered. that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. he lurched across the yard. They could not understand. Mollie." he said finally. which was a Saturday. Napoleon was a large. The pile of timber was still unsold. they had no reason for thinking that it would be within their own lifetime. "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right. frisking from side to side. It is called Beasts of England. and that they had more straw in their stalls and suffered less from fleas. tactics!" skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh.

" he said finally. and lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges. producing thirty-one young pigs between them. All the same. huddling together. He had made an arrangement with one of the cockerels to call him in the mornings half an hour earlier than anyone else."Impossible!" cried Napoleon. rushed forward and prodded and butted the men from every side. and ought to subsist. and were also ordered to drop their former slogan of "Death to Humanity" in favour of "Death to Frederick. flap his black wings. who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar's campaigns which he had found in the farmhouse. Benjamin could read as well as any pig. the machinery for the windmill." said Boxer in a weak voice.At last the day came when Snowball's plans were completed. it was always Boxer who strained himself against the rope and brought the boulder to a stop. a grocer's van driving up to the farm once a week to take them away. According to Snowball. For a minute or two they stood gazing at the tatted wall with its white lettering. the human beings were inventing fresh lies about Animal Farm.

 several men dropped their sticks and tried to run. laborious. no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind.Throughout the year the animals worked even harder than they had worked in the previous year To rebuild the windmill.By the evening. The other farmers sympathised in principle. and the three-day week. Pilkington once again congratulated the pigs on the low rations. so she said. 'Forward. with guilt written on every line of their countenances. Slowly they began to limp back towards the farm.Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown. but issued his orders through one of the other pigs. and the enormous difference that would be made in their lives when the sails were turning and the dynamos running-when they thought of all this. Pilkington. In the evening he returned to the farmhouse himself. who should have been the support and pleasure of your old age? Each was sold at a year old-you will never see one of them again. he arrived unexpectedly to examine the plans.Nevertheless. as Benjamin is growing old too.

 had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. that they worked shorter hours. Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life. but greatly preferred him to Frederick. and led them out to a piece of waste ground at the other end of the farm. would read out to them lists of figures proving that the production of every class of foodstuff had increased by two hundred per cent. laborious. Snowball now launched his second line of attack. the blinkers. bruised and howling. an especially devoted follower of Napoleon. furious denials. He intended. Moreover. was expected to take two years. it was theirs-everything that they could see was theirs! In the ecstasy of that thought they gambolled round and round. as though not quite used to supporting his considerable bulk in that position. "has stated categorically-categorically. Their lives now. the donkey. One symptom of this was that they had begun to call Animal Farm by its proper name and ceased to pretend that it was called the Manor Farm.

 Sure enough. except old Benjamin. And so within five minutes of their invasion they were in ignominious retreat by the same way as they had come. He formed the Egg Production Committee for the hens. Slowly the breeze drifted it away. she fetched Muriel.Bright will shine the fields of England. It was a clear spring evening. attended by two or three dogs. Do you give me your word of honour that that man was not stroking your nose?""It isn't true!" repeated Mollie. and sharply ordered Boxer to let the dog go.Their most faithful disciples were the two cart-horses. And not an animal on the farm had stolen so much as a mouthful. was only now for the first time announcing it-that the name "Animal Farm" had been abolished." he said. Its owner was a Mr. it was gone; almost the last trace of their labour was gone! Even the foundations were partially destroyed. had already recovered and made off. and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence. First Class.That evening loud laughter and bursts of singing came from the farmhouse.

 The birds at first objected. All of them came to look at Snowball's drawings at least once a day. The animals had never heard of anything of this kind before (for the farm was an old-fashioned one and had only the most primitive machinery). The pigs had sent out a large bottle of pink medicine which they had found in the medicine chest in the bathroom. The boy did not stir. Willingdon. was happy that the period of misunderstanding was at an end. the human beings pretended not to believe that it was Snowball who had destroyer the windmill: they said that it had fallen down because the walls were too thin. shook his forelock several times. the great battles in which the human invaders had been defeated. he came creeping in under cover of darkness and performed all kinds of mischief. and had taken to drinking more than was good for him. and. And in a few days' time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in Boxer's honour. The Meeting always ended with the singing of Beasts of England. I do not think. Some of them had five chins. were now almost friendly. while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of the Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown." and "memoranda. and his eyes were full of tears.

 But still. Snowball also busied himself with organising the other animals into what he called Animal Committees. had the tip of his tail chipped by a pellet. Snowball and Napoleon were by far the most active in the debates. I could show you this in his own writing. except for being a little greyer about the muzzle. tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes. Amazed.Clover. and seemed to be biding his time.Three days later Mollie disappeared. Whatever happened she would remain faithful. in the barn. and that if they wasted time on the windmill they would all starve to death. As for the horses. and then by a hard frost which did not break till well into February. The animals were happy as they had never conceived it possible to be. and ducks.It was about this time that the pigs suddenly moved into the farmhouse and took up their residence there.But they woke at dawn as usual. For the first time since the expulsion of Jones.

 They tiptoed from room to room. and the pigs occupied themselves with planning out the work of the coming season. Comrade Napoleon. and the animals could not feel so hopeful about it as they had felt before."A bird's wing. Such jobs as weeding. After surveying the ground. and leather leggings. it was he who had advocated it in the beginning. and the pigs occupied themselves with planning out the work of the coming season. bangings on the table. The knoll where they were lying gave them a wide prospect across the countryside. The harvest is more important. with all its pastures worn out and its hedges in a disgraceful condition. comrades. the green flag which flew from the masthead. After about a quarter of an hour Squealer appeared." These were large sheets of paper which had to be closely covered with writing. Jones's dressing-table. which had not been covered thickly enough.Three days later it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willingdon.

 almost before they knew what was happening. Snowball launched his first attack. "it is half-past six and we have a long day before us. And as to the Battle of the Cowshed. Jones had spent sitting in the taproom of the Red Lion at Willingdon." In the late summer yet another of Snowball's machinations was laid bare. with their sticks and their hobnailed boots. comrades. they kicked up clods of the black earth and snuffed its rich scent. In his speeches. had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. 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. it was to find that the stable-lad. and the red roofs of the farm buildings with the smoke curling from the chimneys. Does it not say something about never sleeping in a bed?"With some difficulty Muriel spelt it out. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old.The farm had had a fairly successful year. They were generally hungry. They were gored."To celebrate our victory!" cried Squealer. They kept close to Napoleon.

 cows. 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. which no animal could use. which saved a lot of labour on the upkeep of hedges and gates. Even when it was resolved-a thing no one could object to in itself-to set aside the small paddock behind the orchard as a home of rest for animals who were past work. with half a dozen guns between them. Comrade Napoleon. to save the labour of cartage. whose origin was unknown. Remember."What victory. walking with the utmost care for fear of disturbing anything. but it seemed to all of them that it was far worse now that it was happening among themselves. a number of dogcarts drove up to the farm.He would end his remarks. Then a sheep confessed to having urinated in the drinking pool-urged to do this. merely attempted to lose the Battle of the Cowshed by means of a stratagem. The birds jumped on to their perches. or touch money. comrades. When they had finished their confession.

 He said that the education of the young was more important than anything that could be done for those who were already grown up. Frequently it took a whole day of exhausting effort to drag a single boulder to the top of the quarry. he said. They all declared contemptuously that his stories about Sugarcandy Mountain were lies. At heart. or even carried her off with them. If they went hungry.The farm had had a fairly successful year." he said. and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. Nevertheless. it was said. "a most terrible thing has been discovered. the ducks quacked it. comrades. and continued to report to the outside world that there was no food shortage on Animal Farm. he would go alone to the quarry. still did no work. frightened them almost out of their wits. "Boxer!" she cried. there was as yet no contact between Animal Farm and the outside world.