← Old Major (so he was always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was Willingdon Beauty) was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to say. 🔊
← It is called Beasts of England." Old Major cleared his throat and began to sing. 🔊
← He claimed to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain, to which all animals went when they died. 🔊
← All were agreed that no animal must ever live there. The animals had their breakfast, and then Snowball and Napoleon called them together again. 🔊
← Boxer and Clover would harness themselves to the cutter or the horse−rake (no bits or reins were needed in these days, of course) and tramp steadily round and round the field with a pig walking behind and calling out "Gee up, comrade!" 🔊
← He had made an arrangement with one of the cockerels to call him in the mornings half an hour earlier than anyone else, and would put in some volunteer labour at whatever seemed to be most needed, before the regular day's work began. 🔊
← Snowball also busied himself with organising the other animals into what he called Animal Committees. 🔊
← The other farm, which was called Pinchfield, was smaller and better kept. Its owner was a Mr. Frederick, a tough, shrewd man, perpetually involved in lawsuits and with a name for driving hard bargains. 🔊
← The whole thing would be over in a fortnight, they said. 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. 🔊
← There was much discussion as to what the battle should be called. In the end, it was named the Battle of the Cowshed, since that was where the ambush had been sprung. 🔊
← He had made arrangements with the cockerel to call him three−quarters of an hour earlier in the mornings instead of half an hour. 🔊
← 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. 🔊
← In the evening Squealer called them together, and with an alarmed expression on his face told them that he had some serious news to report. 🔊
← Napoleon now called upon them to confess their crimes. They were the same four pigs as had protested when Napoleon abolished the Sunday Meetings. 🔊
← Two days later the animals were called together for a special meeting in the barn. 🔊
← Frederick had wanted to pay for the timber with something called a cheque, which, it seemed, was a piece of paper with a promise to pay written upon it. 🔊
← Napoleon called the animals together immediately and in a terrible voice pronounced the death sentence upon Frederick. 🔊
← It was announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill, and that Napoleon had created a new decoration, the Order of the Green Banner, which he had conferred upon himself. 🔊
← He called the animals together and told them that he had a terrible piece of news to impart. 🔊
← There were more songs, more speeches, more processions. Napoleon had commanded that once a week there should be held something called a Spontaneous Demonstration, the object of which was to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Animal Farm. 🔊