chapter nine boxer split hoof was a long time in healing they had started the rebuilding of the windmill the day after the victory celebrations were ended boxer refused to take even a day off work and made it a point of Honor not to let it be seen that he was in pain in the evenings he would admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal Clover treated the hoof with puses of herbs which she prepared by chewing them and both she and Benjamin urged box to work less hard a horse's lungs do not last forever she said to him the boxer would not listen he had he said only one real ambition left to see the windmill well underway before he reached the age for retirement at the beginning when the laws of Animal Farm were first formulated the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at 12 for cows at 14 for dogs at 9 for sheep at 7 and for hens and geese at 5 liberal old AG pensions had been agreed upon as yet no animal had actually retired on pension but of late the subject had been discussed more and more now that the small field Beyond The Orchard had been set aside for barley it was rumored that a corner of the large pasture was to be fenced off and turned into a grazing ground for the super annuated animals for a horse it was said the pension would be 5 lb of corn a day and in Winter 15 lb of hay with a carrot or possibly an apple on public holidays boxer's 12th birthday was due in the late Summer of the following year meanwhile life was hard the winter was as cold as the last one had been and food was even shorter once again all rations were reduced except those of the pigs and the dogs a too rigid equality in rations Squealer explained would have been contrary to the principles of animalism in any case he had no difficulty in proving to the other animals that they were not in reality short of food whatever the appearances might be for the time being certainly it had been found necessary to make a Readjustment of rations Squealer always spoke of it as a Readjustment never as a reduction but in comparison with the days of Jones the Improvement was enormous reading out the figures in a shrill rapid voice he proved to them in detail that they had more oats more hay more turn-ups than they had had in Jones's day that they worked shorter hours that their drinking water was of better quality that they lived longer that a larger proportion of their young ones survived infancy and that they had more straw on their stalls and suffered less from fleas the animals believed every word of it truth to tell Jones and all he stood for had almost faded out of their memories they knew that life nowadays was harsh and bare that they were often hungry and often cold and that they were usually working when they were not asleep but doubtless it had been worse in the old days they were were glad to believe so besides in those days they had been slaves and now they were free and that made all the difference as Squealer did not fail to point out there were many more mouths to feed now in the Autumn the four sews had all littered about simultaneously producing 31 young pigs between them the young pigs were pball and as Napoleon was the only boar on the farm it was possible to guess at their parentage it was announced that later when bricks and Timber had been purchased a school room would be built in The Farmhouse Garden for the time being the young pigs were given their instruction by Napoleon himself in The Farmhouse kitchen they took their exercise in the garden and were discouraged from playing with the other young animals about this time to it was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any other animal met on the path the other animal must stand aside and also that all pigs of whatever degree were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons on their tails on Sunday days the farm had had a fairly successful year but was still short of money there were the bricks sand and lime for the school room to be purchased and it would also be necessary to begin saving up again for the machinery for the windmill then there were lamp oil and candles for the house sugar for Napoleon's own table he forbade this to the other pigs on the ground that it made them fat and all the usual Replacements such as tools Nails string coal wire scrap iron and dog biscuits a stump of hay and part of the potato crop were sold off and the contract for eggs was increased to 600 a week so that that year the hens barely hatched enough chicks to keep their numbers at the same level rations reduced in December were reduced again in February and lanterns in the Stalls were forbidden to save oil but the pigs seemed comfortable enough and in fact were putting on weight if anything one afternoon in late February a warm Rich appetizing scent such as the animals had never smelt before waved itself across the yard from the little brew house which had been disused in Jones's time and which stood beyond the kitchen someone said that it was the smell of cooking barley the animals sniffed the air hungrily and wondered whether a warm Mash was being prepared for their supper but no warm Mash appeared and on the following Sunday it was announced that from now onwards all barley would be reserved for the pigs the field Beyond The Orchard had already been St with barley and the News soon leaked out that every Pig was now receiving a ration of a pint of beer daily with half a gallon for Napoleon himself which was always served to him in the Crown Derby soup terine but if there were hardships to be born they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before there were more songs more speeches more processions Napoleon had commanded that once a week there should be held something called a spontaneous demonstration the object of which was to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Animal Farm at the appointed time the animals would leave their work and March round the precincts of the farm in military formation with the pigs leading then the horses then the cows then the sheep and then the poultry the dogs flank the procession and at the head of all marched Napoleon's black Cockerel boxer and clover always carried between them a green Banner marked with the hoof and the horn in the caption long live comrade Napoleon afterwards there were recitations of poems composed in Napoleon's honor and a speech by Squealer giving particulars of the latest increases in the production of food stuffs and on occasion a shout was fired from the gun the Sheep were the greatest devotees of the spontaneous demonstration and if anyone complained as a few animals sometimes did when no pigs or dogs were near that they wasted time and meant a lot of standing about in the cold the Sheep were sure to silence him with a the tremendous bleeding of four legs good two legs bad but by and large the animals enjoyed these celebrations they found it comforting to be reminded that after all they were truly their own masters and that the work they did was for their own benefit so that what with the songs the processions squealer's list of figures the Thunder of the gun the crowing of the cocko and the fluttering of the flag they were able to forget that their bellies were empty at least part of the time in April Animal Farm was proclaimed a republic and it became necessary to elect a president there was only one candidate Napoleon who was elected unanimously on the same day it was given out that fresh documents had been discovered which revealed further details about snowball's complicity with Jones it now appeared that snowball had not as the animals had previously imagined merely attempted to lose the battle of the cowshed by means of a strategy but had been openly fighting on Jones's side in fact in fact it was he who had actually been the leader of the human forces and had charged into battle with the words Long Live Humanity on his lips the wounds on snowball's back which a few of the animals still remembered to have seen had been inflicted by Napoleon's teeth in the middle of the summer Moses The Raven suddenly reappeared on the farm after an absence of several years he was quite unchanged still did no work and talked in the same strains as ever about sugar candy mountain he would perch on a stump flap his black wings and talk by the hour to anyone who would listen up there comrades he would say solemnly pointing to the sky with his large beak up there just on the other side of that dark cloud that you can see there it lies sugar candy mountain that happy country where we poor animals shall rest forever from our labors he even claimed to have been there on one of his higher flights and to have seen the Everlasting fields of clover and the linseed cake and lump sugar growing on the hedges many of the animals believed him their lives now they reasoned were hungry and laborous was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else a thing that was difficult to determine was the attitude of the pigs toward Moses they all decare contemptuously that his stories about sugar candy mountain were lies and yet they allowed him to remain on the farm not working with an allowance of a gill of beer a day after his hoof had healed up boxer worked harder than ever indeed all the animals work like slaves that year apart from the regular work of the farm and the rebuilding of the windmill there was the schoolhouse for the young pigs which was started in march sometimes the long hours on insufficient food were hard to Bear but boxer never faltered in nothing that he said or did was there any sign that his strength was not what it had been it was only his appearance that was a little altered his hide was less shiny than it had used to be and and his great haunches seemed to have shrunken the others said boxer will pick up when the spring grass comes on but the spring came and boxer grew no fatter sometimes on the slope leading to the top of the Quarry when he braced his muscles against the weight of some vast Boulder it seemed that nothing kept him on his feet except the will to continue at such times his lips were seen to form the words I will work harder he had no voice left once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take take care of his health but boxer paid no attention his 12th birthday was approaching he did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension late one evening in the summer a sudden rumor ran around the farm that something had happened to boxer he had gone out alone to drag a load of stone down to the windmill and sure enough the rumor was true a few minutes later two pigeons came racing in with the news boxer has fallen he is lying on his side and can't get up about half the animals on the farm rushed out to the null where the windmill stood there lay boxer between the shafts of the cart his neck stretched out unable even to raise his head his eyes were glazed his sides matted with sweat a thin stream of blood had trickled out of his mouth Clover dropped to her knees at his side boxer she cried how are you it is my lung said boxer in a weak voice it does not matter I think you will be able to finish the windmill without me there there's a pretty good store of stone accumulated I had only another month to go in any case to tell you the truth I had been looking forward to my retirement and perhaps as Benjamin is growing old too they will let him retire at the same time and be a companion to me we must get help at once said Clover Run somebody and tell Squealer what has happened all the other animals immediately race back to The Farmhouse to give Squealer the news only Clover remained and Benjamin who lay down at boxer's side and without speaking kept the Flies off him with his long tail after about a quarter of an hour Squealer appeared full of sympathy and concern he said that comrade Napoleon had learned with the very deepest distress of this Misfortune to one of the most loyal workers on the farm and was already making arrangements to send boxer to be treated in the hospital at Willington the animals felt a little uneasy at this except for Molly and snowball no other animal had ever left the farm and they did not like to think of their sick comrade in the hands of human beings however Squealer easily convinced them that the veterinary surgeon in Willington could treat boxer's case more satisfactorily than could be done on the farm and about half an hour later when boxer had somewhat recovered he was with difficulty got onto his feet and managed to limp back to his stall where Clover and Benjamin Had prepared a good bed of straw for him for the next two days boxer remained in his stall the pigs had sent out a large bottle of pink medicine which they had found in the Medicine Chest in the bathroom and clover administered it to boxer twice a day after meals in the evening she lay in his stall and talked to him while Benjamin kept the Flies off him boxer professed not to be sorry for what had happened if he made a good recovery he might expect to live another 3 years and he looked forward to the peaceful days that he would spend in the corner of the big pasture it would be the first time that he had had Leisure to study and improve his mind he intended he said to devote the rest of his life to learning the remaining 22 letters of the alphabet however Benjamin and clover could only be with boxer after working hours and it was in the middle of the day when the van came to take him away the animals were all at work weeding turnips under the supervision of a pig when they were astonished to see Benjamin come Galloping from the direction of the farm buildings braying at the top of his voice it was the first time that they had ever seen Benjamin excited indeed it was the first time that anyone had ever seen him Gallop quick quick he shouted come at once they taking boxer away without waiting waiting for orders from the pig the animals broke off work and raced back to the farm buildings sure enough there in the yard was a large closed van drawn by two horses with letters on its side and a Sly looking man in a low Crown Balor hat sitting on the driver's seat and boxer stall was empty the animals crowded around the van goodbye boxer they chused goodbye fools fools shouted Benjamin prancing around them and stamping the Earth with his small hoofs fools do you not see what is written on the side of that van that gave the animals pause and there was a hush muel began to spell out the words but Benjamin pushed her aside and in the midst of a deadly silence he read Alfred Simmons horse slaughterer and glue boiler Willington dealer in hides and bone meal kennel supplied do you not understand what that means they are taking boxer to the knackers A Cry of horror burst from all the animals at this moment the man on the box whipped up his horses and the van moved out of the yard guard at a smart Trot all the animals followed crying out at the tops of their voices Clover forced her way to the front the van began to gather speed Clover tried to stir her Stout limbs to a gallop and achieved a caner boxer she cried boxer boxer boxer and just at this moment as though he had heard the Uproar outside boxer's face with the white stripe down his nose appeared at the small window at the back of the van boxer cried clover in a terrible voice boxer get out get out quickly they're taking you to your death all the animals took up the Cry of get out boxer get out but the van was already Gathering speed and drawing away from them it was uncertain whether boxer had understood what Clover had said but a moment later his face disappeared from the window and there was the sound of a tremendous drumming of hoofs inside the van he was trying to kick his way out the time had been when a few kicks from boxers hoofs would have smashed the van to matchwood but alas his strength had left him and in a few few moments the sound of drumming hoofs grew fainter and died away in desperation the animals began appealing to the two horses which drew the van to stop comrades comrades they shouted don't take your own brother to his death but the stupid brutes too ignorant to realize what was happening merely set back their ears and Quicken their Pace boxer's face did not reappear at the window too late someone thought of racing ahead and shutting the five bar gate but in another moment the van was through it and rapidly disappearing down the road boxer was never seen again 3 days later it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willington in spite of receiving every attention a horse could have Squealer came to announce the news to the others he had he said been present during boxer's last hours it was the most affecting sight I have ever seen said Squealer lifting his Trotter and wiping away a tear I was at his bedside at the very last and at the end almost too we to speak he whispered in my my year that his sole sorrow was to have passed on before the windmill was finished forward comrades he whispered forward in the name of the Rebellion Long Live Animal Farm Long Live comrade Napoleon Napoleon is always right those were his very last words comrades here squealer's demeanor suddenly changed he fell silent for a moment in his little eyes darted suspicious glances from side to side before he proceeded it had come to his knowledge he said that a foolish and wicked rumor had been circulated at the time of boxer's removal some of the animals had noticed that the van which took boxer away was marked horse slaughterer and had actually jumped to the conclusion that boxer was being sent to the knackers it was almost unbelievable said Squealer that any animal could be so stupid surely he cried indignantly whisking his tail and skipping from side to side surely they knew their beloved leader comrade Napoleon better than that but the explanation was really very simple the van had previously been the property of the and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon who had not yet painted the old name out that was how the mistake had Arisen the animals were enormously relieved to hear this and when Squealer went on to give further graphic details of boxer's deathbed the admirable care he had received and the expensive medicines for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost their last doubts disappeared and the sorrow that they felt for their comrades death was tempered by the thought that at last he died happy Napoleon himself appeared at the meeting on the following Sunday morning and pronounced the short oration in boxer's honor it had not been possible he said to bring back their lamented comrades remains for interment on the farm but he had ordered a large wreath to be made from the Laurels in The Farmhouse garden and sent down to be placed on boxer's grave and in a few days time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in boxer honor Napoleon end ended his speech with a reminder of boxer's two favorite maxims I will work harder and comrade Napoleon is always right maxims he said which every animal would do well to adopt as his own on the day appointed for the banquet a Grocer's van drove up from Willington and delivered a large wooden crate at The Farmhouse that night there was the sound of uproarious singing which was followed by what sounded like a violent quarrel and ended at about 11:00 with a tremendous crash of glass no one stirred in The Farmhouse before noon on the following day and the word went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whiskey