Chapter 25 Chapter 23 The Animals Are Feeling Confused

In the fall, after the exhausting efforts of the animals—for at almost the same time they had to harvest the crops—the windmill was finally built.The mechanical equipment was of course still to be installed—Vimper was negotiating for the purchase of the machinery, but the civil works had all been completed.Faced with all kinds of difficulties, despite inexperience, primitive tools, bad luck, and Xueqiu's constant disturbance and destruction, the construction project was completed on schedule, within one day of the planned deadline.The animals were exhausted but proud.They walked round and round their masterpiece.In their eyes, the windmill was even more magnificent than when it was first built.The walls are twice as thick as they were originally, and nothing but dynamite will now bring it down.They recall the arduous labor they have paid for it, the difficulties and setbacks they have overcome; they look forward to the future, and think of how their lives will change dramatically once the windmills spin and the generators start-when they think of all this, fatigue is overwhelming. Disappeared.So they rolled and jumped around the windmill, cheering for victory again and again.At this time, Napoleon, surrounded by several dogs and roosters, also came to the site to inspect the completed project.He personally congratulated the animals on their achievement and announced that the windmill would be named the Napoleon Windmill.

Two days later the animals were called to the barn for a special meeting.Napoleon announced at the meeting that he had sold a pile of timber to Frederick, and that Frederick's carriage would be coming to deliver the timber from the next day.The animals were stupefied with astonishment at the news.All this time Napoleon seems to have maintained friendly relations with Pilkington, but he actually made a secret agreement with Frederick. All relations with Beaverwood Farm were completely broken off; insulting letters were being sent to Pilkington.The pigeons were told to avoid Ninchfield Farm from now on, and their slogan "Kill Friedrich" was to be changed to "Kill Pilkington".Napoleon also assured the animals that the rumors of an attack on Animal Farm were nonsense, and that the stories of Frederick's brutal treatment of his own animals were greatly exaggerated.Most of these rumors were fabricated by Snowball and his minions.Now it seemed that Snowball hadn't been hiding at Narrowlands Farm, in fact, he had never been there once in his life.At present he was living--in a rather luxurious way, it was said--at Beaverwood Farm, and had in fact been maintained for some years by Pilkington.

All the pigs were delighted with Napoleon's resourcefulness; Pilkington was feigned to be friendly, so that he forced Frederick to raise his purchase price by twelve pounds.But Napoleon's real superiority, said Squealer, was not here yet.Napoleon did not trust anyone, and that was his strength.Frederick wanted to pay for the lumber with something called a check.A check appears to be nothing more than a piece of paper with a promise to pay.Napoleon was not fooled! He demanded real five-pound notes in his hands before the timber was removed.Frederick has already paid the bill.He paid just enough to buy the machinery for the windmill.

During this time, the timber is being removed at a rapid pace.When all the lumber was gone, the animals were called together again for a special meeting in the barn.The purpose of the meeting was to show them the money that Frederick had brought.Wearing two medals, Napoleon was smiling, lying on a pile of straw on the high platform, the money was next to him, and a stack of banknotes was neatly stacked on a disk brought from the kitchen.The animals filed slowly by, looking at the banknotes carefully.When it was Boxer's turn, he put his nose up and sniffed, and the thin white stuff quivered in his breath.

Three days later a most terrible riot broke out.Vimper's face was pale, and he came galloping on his bicycle.He threw the bicycle in the yard and broke into the farm house.Then from Napoleon's house came a roar of exasperated anger.What happened spread quickly through the farm like wildfire.Frederick used counterfeit money! He took the wood for nothing! Napoleon called the animals together at once, and pronounced Frederick's death sentence in a most terrible voice.If Frederick was caught, he said, he would be boiled alive.At the same time Napoleon also warned the animals that after this treacherous act, Frederick must beware of worse things.He and his men may launch a long-planned attack at any time.Police posts were posted at all intersections leading to the farm.In addition, four pigeons were sent to Foxwood Farm to deliver a conciliatory letter, hoping to restore the old relationship with Pilkington.

As expected, the offensive began the next morning.The animals were having their breakfast when the sentinel on guard came running quickly to report that Frederick and a group of men had entered the five-bar gate.The animals went out to meet them bravely, but this time they could not crush the attackers as easily as they had at the last battle of the cowshed.The attackers were fifteen in all, armed with six guns.They had barely come within fifty yards when they opened fire.The animals, unable to resist the force of the gunpowder and the painful little pellets, were defeated in spite of Napoleon and Boxer's desperate efforts to boost morale.Several of the animals had already been wounded just after going into battle.The animals took refuge in the sheds, peering cautiously through cracks in the walls and scar holes in the planks.The whole wide pasture with the windmill fell into the enemy's hands.At this time even Napoleon was at a loss.He paced back and forth without a word, his tail twitching stiffly.His gaze turned to Lilin Farm expectantly.If Pilkington could bring men to help them at this time, perhaps the battle would not have been lost.But at this moment the four pigeons which had been sent the day before returned, and one of them brought a slip of paper from Pilkington.There were four large characters written on the paper: "Do it for yourself!" At this time, Frederick and his group had stopped around the windmill, and the animals looked at them and cried out in low voices in terror.I saw two people in the enemy's team took out a steel drill and a sledgehammer.They were about to knock down the wall of the windmill.