George Orwell - Animal farm / Скотный двор. Уровень 2

“I don’t want to kill men,” repeated Boxer. His eyes were full of tears.

“Where is Mollie?” exclaimed somebody.

Indeed, where was Mollie? For a moment there was great alarm. In the end, however, they found her. She hid in her stall. Her head buried among the hay in the manger. And when the others came back, the stable-lad, who was only stunned, already recovered and ran away.

The animals now reassembled in the excitement. Everyone recounted his own exploits in the battle. They celebrated the victory! They ran up the flag and sang 'Beasts of England’. The poor sheep was buried. A hawthorn bush was planted on her grave.

At the graveside Snowball made a little speech. He emphasized the need for all animals to be ready to die for the Animal Farm. The animals decided unanimously to create a military decoration [19] military decoration – воинская награда , “Animal Hero, First Class”. Snowball and Boxer were rewarded. It consisted of a brass medal (an old horse-brass from the harness-room). There was also “Animal Hero, Second Class”: the dead sheep was rewarded posthumously.

The animals named this fight “The Battle of the Cowshed”. The animals set Mr. Jones’s gun at the foot of the Flagstaff to fire it twice a year. October the twelfth was the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed. And Midsummer Day was the anniversary of the Rebellion.

In winter, Mollie became more and more troublesome. She was late for work every morning, and she complained of mysterious pains. But her appetite was excellent. She often ran away from work and went to the drinking pool. There she stood and gazed foolishly at her own reflection in the water. But there were something more serious. One day, when Mollie flirted her long tail and chewed at a stalk of hay, Clover took her aside.

“Mollie,” she said, “I have something very serious to say to you. This morning you looked over the hedge that divides Animal Farm from Foxwood. One of Mr. Pilkington’s men stood on the other side of the hedge. And I saw this-he talked to you and you allowed him to stroke your nose. What does that mean, Mollie?”

“He didn’t! I wasn’t! It isn’t true!” cried Mollie.

“Mollie! Look at me. Do you give me your word of honour that the man did not stroke your nose?”

“It isn’t true!” repeated Mollie, but she did not look at Clover. The next moment she galloped away into the field.

Clover did not say anything to the others. She went to Mollie’s stall and turned over the straw with her hoof. Clover found a little pile of lump sugar and several bunches of ribbon of different colours under the straw.

Three days later Mollie disappeared. For some weeks nobody saw her. Then the pigeons reported that they saw her on the other side of Willingdon. She was between the shafts of a smart dogcart, which was outside a public-house [20] public-house – таверна . A fat red-faced man in breeches and gaiters, probably a publican [21] publican – трактирщик , stroked her nose and fed her with sugar. She had a new coat and she wore a scarlet ribbon round her forelock. She was happy, so the pigeons said. None of the animals ever mentioned Mollie again.

In January there came hard weather. The earth was like iron, and the animals did not work in the fields. They attended meetings in the big barn. The pigs planned out the future work. The pigs, who were manifestly cleverer than the other animals, will decide all questions of farm policy. But their decisions will be ratified by a majority vote.

This arrangement worked well enough. But the disputes between Snowball and Napoleon! These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible. If one of them offered to sow a bigger acreage with barley, the other demanded a bigger acreage of oats. If one of them said that a field was just right for cabbages, the other declared that it was useless for anything except roots. There were violent debates between them. At the Meetings Snowball often won over the majority by his brilliant speeches. But Napoleon was better at intrigues. He was especially successful with the sheep. The sheep often bleated “Four legs good, two legs bad”, and they often interrupted the Meeting with this. They began to bleat “Four legs good, two legs bad” at crucial moments in Snowball’s speeches.

Snowball read some 'Farmer and Stockbreeder’ magazines which he found in the farmhouse. He was full of plans for innovations and improvements. He talked learnedly about field drains, silage, and basic slag. He worked out a complicated scheme for all the animals to drop their dung directly in the fields, at a different spot every day, to save the labour of cartage. Napoleon said quietly that Snowball did nothing useful, and just wasted his time. But then the problem of the windmill came.

In the long pasture, not far from the farm buildings, there was a small knoll. It was the highest point on the farm. Snowball declared that this was just the place for a windmill. This windmill will operate a dynamo and supply the farm with electrical power! This will light the stalls and warm them in winter, and will also run a circular saw, a chaff-cutter [22] chaff-cutter – соломорезка , a mangel-slicer [23] mangel-slicer – свекломешалка , and an electric milkingmachine [24] milking machine – доилка . The animals listened in astonishment. And Snowball talked and talked about these fantastic machines

The mechanical details came mostly from three books which belonged to Mr. Jones: 'One Thousand Useful Things to Do About the House’, 'Every Man Is A Bricklayer’, and 'Electricity for Beginners’. Snowball worked in a shed which had a smooth wooden floor. With a piece of chalk between the knuckles of his trotter, he moved rapidly to and fro. He drew and read, line after line, he uttered little whimpers of excitement. The other animals came to look at Snowball’s pictures at least once a day. Even the hens and ducks came. Only Napoleon was indifferent. He talked against the windmill. One day, however, he arrived unexpectedly to examine the plans. He walked round the shed, and looked closely at every detail of the plans. Then he snuffed at them once or twice. After that he suddenly he lifted his leg and urinated over the plans. Then he walked out.

The whole farm was divided on the subject of the windmill. Snowball did not deny that to build it was a difficult business. The animals must carry stones and make the sails. Then they will need dynamos and cables. Snowball did not say how to get them. But he promised to build the windmill in a year. And thereafter, the animals will work three days a week.

Napoleon, on the other hand, argued that the great need of the moment was to increase food production. If the animals waste time on the windmill they will all starve to death.

The animals formed themselves into two factions under the slogan, “Vote for Snowball and the three-day week” and “Vote for Napoleon and the full manger”. Benjamin was the only animal who did not joined any faction. He did not believe anybody. Windmill or no windmill, life will go on, badly.

And there was the question of the defence of the farm. The men can make another and more determined attempt to recapture the farm and reinstate Mr. Jones. The news of their defeat made the animals on the neighbouring farms more restive than ever. As usual, Snowball and Napoleon were in disagreement. According to Napoleon, what the animals must do was to procure firearms. According to Snowball, they must send out more and more pigeons and stir up rebellion among the animals on the other farms.