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The birds at first objected, since it seemed to them that they also had two legs, but Snowball proved to them that this was not so.

"A bird's wing, comrades," he said, "is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation. It should therefore be regarded as a leg. The distinguishing mark of man is the HAND, the instrument with which he does all his mischief."

The birds did not understand Snowball's long words, but they accepted his explanation, and all the humbler animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart.

FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD, was inscribed on the end wall of the barn, above the Seven Commandments and in bigger letters.

When they had once got it by heart, the sheep developed a great liking for this maxim, and often as they lay in the field they would all start bleating "Four legs good, two legs bad! Four legs good, two legs bad!" and keep it up for hours on end, never growing tired of it.

Napoleon took no interest in Snowball's committees.

He said that the education of the young was more important than anything that could be done for those who were already grown up.

It happened that Jessie and Bluebell had both whelped soon after the hay harvest, giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies.

As soon as they were weaned, Napoleon took them away from their mothers, saying that he would make himself responsible for their education.

He took them up into a loft which could only be reached by a ladder from the harness-room, and there kept them in such seclusion that the rest of the farm soon forgot their existence.

The mystery of where the milk went to was soon cleared up.

It was mixed every day into the pigs' mash.

The early apples were now ripening, and the grass of the orchard was littered with windfalls.

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.

At this some of the other animals murmured, but it was no use.

All the pigs were in full agreement on this point, even Snowball and Napoleon.

Squealer was sent to make the necessary explanations to the others.

"Comrades!" he cried.

"You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples.

I dislike them myself.

Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health.

Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig.

We pigs are brainworkers.

The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us.

Day and night we are watching over your welfare.

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