Скотний двір
Chapter 4
TheyputitaboutthattheanimalsontheManorFarm(theyinsistedoncallingittheManorFarm;theywouldnottoleratethename"AnimalFarm")wereperpetuallyfightingamongthemselvesandwerealsorapidlystarvingtodeath. Whentimepassedandtheanimalshadevidentlynotstarvedtodeath,FrederickandPilkingtonchangedtheirtuneandbegantotalkoftheterriblewickednessthatnowflourishedonAnimalFarm. Itwasgivenoutthattheanimalstherepractisedcannibalism,torturedoneanotherwithred-hothorseshoes,andhadtheirfemalesincommon. ThiswaswhatcameofrebellingagainstthelawsofNature,FrederickandPilkingtonsaid.
However,thesestorieswereneverfullybelieved. Rumoursofawonderfulfarm,wherethehumanbeingshadbeenturnedoutandtheanimalsmanagedtheirownaffairs,continuedtocirculateinvagueanddistortedforms,andthroughoutthatyearawaveofrebelliousnessranthroughthecountryside. Bullswhichhadalwaysbeentractablesuddenlyturnedsavage,sheepbrokedownhedgesanddevouredtheclover,cowskickedthepailover,huntersrefusedtheirfencesandshottheirridersontotheotherside. Aboveall,thetuneandeventhewordsof‘BeastsofEngland’wereknowneverywhere. Ithadspreadwithastonishingspeed. Thehumanbeingscouldnotcontaintheirragewhentheyheardthissong,thoughtheypretendedtothinkitmerelyridiculous. Theycouldnotunderstand,theysaid,howevenanimalscouldbringthemselvestosingsuchcontemptiblerubbish. Anyanimalcaughtsingingitwasgivenafloggingonthespot. Andyetthesongwasirrepressible. Theblackbirdswhistleditinthehedges,thepigeonscooeditintheelms,itgotintothedinofthesmithiesandthetuneofthechurchbells. Andwhenthehumanbeingslistenedtoit,theysecretlytrembled,hearinginitaprophecyoftheirfuturedoom.
