Boxer looked at Napoleon to know whetherhe should
crush the dog to death or let it go. But there were also rumours of something
moreserious.
He gave it as hisopinion that Snowball had probably
come from the direction of Foxwood Farm. Afterwards Squealer made a round of the
farm and set the animals minds atrest. It must be due to some fault in
ourselves.
Muriel, she said, read me the Fourth
Commandment.
Four days later, in the late afternoon, Napoleon
ordered all the animalsto assemble in the yard. Animal Hero, SecondClass, and half a
bushel of apples to any animal who brings him tojustice. Several of them would
haveprotested if they could have found the right arguments. This was a wickedness
far outdoing Snowballsdestruction of the windmill.
She appeared tobe enjoying herself, so the pigeons
said. Afterwards Squealer was sent round the farm to explain the new arrangementto
the others.
In January there came bitterly hard
weather.
Whymper visited the farm as had been
arranged.
It was well seasoned, and Whymper had advised
Napoleon to sell it; bothMr.
The windmill presented unexpected
difficulties.
I would not have believed that such things
couldhappen on our farm.
Snowball is to act as his guide when the attack
begins. Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken sostrongly against it?
Transportingthe stone when it was once broken was comparatively simple.
He announced that from now on the Sunday-morning
Meetings wouldcome to an end.
The cows declaredunanimously that Snowball crept
into their stalls and milked them in theirsleep. The needs of the windmill
mustoverride everything else, he said. Surely, comrades, you donot want Jones back?
One day, however, he arrived unexpectedly to examine the plans.
Napoleon now calledupon them to confess their
crimes. Unable at first tospeak, they stood gazing mournfully at the litter of
fallen stone.
We have removed the sheetsfrom the farmhouse beds,
and sleep between blankets. But sometimes youmight make the wrong decisions,
comrades, and then where should we be?
The cows declaredunanimously that Snowball crept
into their stalls and milked them in theirsleep. You would not have us too tired
tocarry out our duties?
He intended to take the whole burdenupon his own
shoulders.