Then there came a moment when the first shock had worn off and when in spite of everything – in spite of their terror of the dogs, and of the habit, developed through long years, of never complaining, never criticising, no matter what happened – they might have uttered some word of protest.
But just at that moment, as though at a signal, all the sheep burst out into a tremendous bleating of —
‘Four legs good, two legs better!
Four legs good, two legs better!
Four legs good, two legs better!’
It went on for five minutes without stopping.
And by the time the sheep had quieted down the chance to utter any protest had passed, for the pigs had marched back into the farmhouse.
Benjamin felt a nose nuzzling at his shoulder.
He looked round.
It was Clover.
Her old eyes looked dimmer than ever.
Without saying anything she tugged gently at his mane and led him round to the end of the big barn, where the Seven Commandments were written.
For a minute or two they stood gazing at the tarred wall with its white lettering.
‘My sight is failing,’ she said finally.
‘Even when I was young I could not have read what was written there.
But it appears to me that that wall looks different.
Are the Seven Commandments the same as they used to be, Benjamin?’
For once Benjamin consented to break his rule, and he read out to her what was written on the wall.
There was nothing there now except a single Commandment.
It ran:
ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL:
BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL: THAN OTHERS.:
After that it did not seem strange when next day the pigs who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their trotters.
It did not seem strange to learn that the pigs had bought themselves a wireless set, were arranging to install a telephone, and had taken out subscriptions to John Bull, Tit-Bits and the Daily Mirror.
It did not seem strange when Napoleon was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pipe in his mouth – no, not even when the pigs took Mr Jones's clothes out of the wardrobes and put them on, Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat, ratcatcher breeches and leather leggings, while his favourite sow appeared in the watered silk dress which Mrs Jones had been used to wear on Sundays.
A week later, in the afternoon, a number of dogcarts drove up to the farm.
A deputation of neighbouring farmers had been invited to make a tour of inspection.
They were shown all over the farm, and expressed great admiration for everything they saw, especially the windmill.
The animals were weeding the turnip field.
They worked diligently, hardly raising their faces from the ground, and not knowing whether to be more frightened of the pigs or of the human visitors.
That evening loud laughter and bursts of singing came from the farmhouse.
And suddenly, at the sound of the mingled voices, the animals were stricken with curiosity.
What could be happening in there, 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.
At the gate they paused, half frightened to go on, but Clover led the way in.
They tiptoed up to the house, and such animals as were tall enough peered in at the dining-room window.
There, round the long table, sat half a dozen farmers and half a dozen of the more eminent pigs, Napoleon himself occupying the seat of honour at the head of the table.
The pigs appeared completely at ease in their chairs.
The company had been enjoying a game of cards, but had broken off for the moment, evidently in order to drink a toast.
A large jug was circulating, and the mugs were being refilled with beer.
No one noticed the wondering faces of the animals that gazed in at the window.
Mr Pilkington, of Foxwood, had stood up, his mug in his hand.
In a moment, he said, he would ask the present company to drink a toast.
But before doing so there were a few words that he felt it incumbent upon him to say.
It was a source of great satisfaction to him, he said – and, he was sure, to all others present – to feel that a long period of mistrust and misunderstanding had now come to an end.
There had been a time – not that he, or any of the present company, had shared such sentiments – but there had been a time when the respected proprietors of Animal Farm had been regarded, he would not say with hostility, but perhaps with a certain measure of misgiving, by their human neighbours.
Unfortunate incidents had occurred, mistaken ideas had been current.
It had been felt that the existence of a farm owned and operated by pigs was somehow abnormal and was liable to have an unsettling effect in the neighbourhood.
Too many farmers had assumed, without due enquiry, that on such a farm a spirit of licence and indiscipline would prevail.
They had been nervous about the effects upon their own animals, or even upon their human employees.