Скотный двор

           InanycasehehadnodifficultyinprovingtotheotheranimalsthattheywereNOTinrealityshortoffood,whatevertheappearancesmightbe. Forthetimebeing,certainly,ithadbeenfoundnecessarytomakeareadjustmentofrations(Squealeralwaysspokeofitasa"readjustment,"neverasa"reduction"),butincomparisonwiththedaysofJones,theimprovementwasenormous. Readingoutthefiguresinashrill,rapidvoice,heprovedtothemindetailthattheyhadmoreoats,morehay,moreturnipsthantheyhadhadinJones’sday,thattheyworkedshorterhours,thattheirdrinkingwaterwasofbetterquality,thattheylivedlonger,thatalargerproportionoftheiryoungonessurvivedinfancy,andthattheyhadmorestrawintheirstallsandsufferedlessfromfleas. Theanimalsbelievedeverywordofit. Truthtotell,Jonesandallhestoodforhadalmostfadedoutoftheirmemories. Theyknewthatlifenowadayswasharshandbare,thattheywereoftenhungryandoftencold,andthattheywereusuallyworkingwhentheywerenotasleep. Butdoubtlessithadbeenworseintheolddays. Theyweregladtobelieveso. Besides,inthosedaystheyhadbeenslavesandnowtheywerefree,andthatmadeallthedifference,asSquealerdidnotfailtopointout. 

           Thereweremanymoremouthstofeednow. Intheautumnthefoursowshadalllitteredaboutsimultaneously,producingthirty-oneyoungpigsbetweenthem. Theyoungpigswerepiebald,andasNapoleonwastheonlyboaronthefarm,itwaspossibletoguessattheirparentage. Itwasannouncedthatlater,whenbricksandtimberhadbeenpurchased,aschoolroomwouldbebuiltinthefarmhousegarden. Forthetimebeing,theyoungpigsweregiventheirinstructionbyNapoleonhimselfinthefarmhousekitchen. Theytooktheirexerciseinthegarden,andwerediscouragedfromplayingwiththeotheryounganimals.