← "Comrades," said Snowball, "it is half−past six and we have a long day before us. 🔊
← In the end they finished the harvest in two days' less time than it had usually taken Jones and his men. 🔊
← The animals had assumed as a matter of course that these would be shared out equally; one day, however, the order went forth that all the windfalls were to be collected and brought to the harness−room for the use of the pigs. 🔊
← It was decided to set the gun up at the foot of the Flagstaff, like a piece of artillery, and to fire it twice a year−once on October the twelfth, the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed, and once on Midsummer Day, the anniversary of the Rebellion. 🔊
← At last the day came when Snowball's plans were completed. At the Meeting on the following Sunday the question of whether or not to begin work on the windmill was to be put to the vote. 🔊
← If they had no more food than they had had in Jones's day, at least they did not have less. 🔊
← Again the animals seemed to remember that a resolution against this had been passed in the early days, and again Squealer was able to convince them that this was not the case. 🔊
← Four days later, in the late afternoon, Napoleon ordered all the animals to assemble in the yard. 🔊
← In the old days there had often been scenes of bloodshed equally terrible, but it seemed to all of them that it was far worse now that it was happening among themselves. 🔊
← There was no thought of rebellion or disobedience in her mind. She knew that, even as things were, they were far better off than they had been in the days of Jones, and that before all else it was needful to prevent the return of the human beings. 🔊
← 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. 🔊
← All the same, there were days when they felt that they would sooner have had less figures and more food. 🔊
← Two days later the animals were called together for a special meeting in the barn. 🔊
← BOXER'S split hoof was a long time in healing. They had started the rebuilding of the windmill the day after the victory celebrations were ended. Boxer refused to take even a day off work, and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain. 🔊
← But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. They were glad to believe so. 🔊
← Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out. 🔊
← However, Benjamin and Clover could only be with Boxer after working hours, and it was in the middle of the day when the van came to take him away. 🔊
← Some day it was coming: it might not be soon, it might not be within the lifetime of any animal now living, but still it was coming. 🔊
← Squealer was with them for the greater part of every day. He was, he said, teaching them to sing a new song, for which privacy was needed. 🔊
← 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. 🔊