Chapter 8

           Afewdayslater,whentheterrorcausedbytheexecutionshaddieddown,someoftheanimalsremembered—orthoughttheyremembered—thattheSixthCommandmentdecreed"Noanimalshallkillanyotheranimal." Andthoughnoonecaredtomentionitinthehearingofthepigsorthedogs,itwasfeltthatthekillingswhichhadtakenplacedidnotsquarewiththis. CloveraskedBenjamintoreadhertheSixthCommandment,andwhenBenjamin,asusual,saidthatherefusedtomeddleinsuchmatters,shefetchedMuriel.MurielreadtheCommandmentforher. Itran: "NoanimalshallkillanyotheranimalWITHOUTCAUSE." Somehoworother,thelasttwowordshadslippedoutoftheanimals’memory. ButtheysawnowthattheCommandmenthadnotbeenviolated;forclearlytherewasgoodreasonforkillingthetraitorswhohadleaguedthemselveswithSnowball. 

           Throughouttheyeartheanimalsworkedevenharderthantheyhadworkedinthepreviousyear. Torebuildthewindmill,withwallstwiceasthickasbefore,andtofinishitbytheappointeddate,togetherwiththeregularworkofthefarm,wasatremendouslabour. ThereweretimeswhenitseemedtotheanimalsthattheyworkedlongerhoursandfednobetterthantheyhaddoneinJones’sday. OnSundaymorningsSquealer,holdingdownalongstripofpaperwithhistrotter,wouldreadouttothemlistsoffiguresprovingthattheproductionofeveryclassoffoodstuffhadincreasedbytwohundredpercent,threehundredpercent,orfivehundredpercent,asthecasemightbe. Theanimalssawnoreasontodisbelievehim,especiallyastheycouldnolongerrememberveryclearlywhatconditionshadbeenlikebeforetheRebellion. Allthesame,thereweredayswhentheyfeltthattheywouldsoonerhavehadlessfiguresandmorefood. 

           AllorderswerenowissuedthroughSquealeroroneoftheotherpigs. Napoleonhimselfwasnotseeninpublicasoftenasonceinafortnight.