1 Jones saw him coming, raised his gun and fired.
2 There were fifteen men, with half a dozen guns between them, and they opened fire as soon as they got within fifty yards.
3 The reins, the halters, the blinkers, the degrading nosebags, were thrown on to the rubbish fire which was burning in the yard.
4 It was also announced that the gun would be fired every year on Napoleon's birthday, as well as on the other two anniversaries.
5 The men fired again and again, and, when the animals got to close quarters, lashed out with their sticks and their heavy boots.
6 Snowball also threw on to the fire the ribbons with which the horses' manes and tails had usually been decorated on market days.
7 When Boxer heard this he fetched the small straw hat which he wore in summer to keep the flies out of his ears, and flung it on to the fire with the rest.
8 There were songs, speeches, and more firing of the gun, and a special gift of an apple was bestowed on every animal, with two ounces of corn for each bird and three biscuits for each dog.
9 It was decided to set the gun up at the foot of the Flagstaff, like a piece of artillery, and to fire it twice a year--once on October the twelfth, the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed, and once on Midsummer Day, the anniversary of the Rebellion.
10 But when the animals saw the green flag flying, and heard the gun firing again--seven times it was fired in all--and heard the speech that Napoleon made, congratulating them on their conduct, it did seem to them after all that they had won a great victory.
11 But when the animals saw the green flag flying, and heard the gun firing again--seven times it was fired in all--and heard the speech that Napoleon made, congratulating them on their conduct, it did seem to them after all that they had won a great victory.