Boxer’s split hoof was a long time in healing. —
拳师的蹄裂创伤很久才愈合。 —

They had started the rebuilding of the windmill the day after the victory celebrations were ended. —
胜利庆祝活动结束后的第二天，他们就开始重建风车的工作。 —

Boxer refused to take even a day off work, and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain. —
拳师拒绝休假，以不让人看出他疼痛为荣。 —

In the evenings he would admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal. —
晚上，他私下里向克洛弗承认蹄子让他很痛苦。 —

Clover treated the hoof with poultices of herbs which she prepared by chewing them, and both she and Benjamin urged Boxer to work less hard. —
克洛弗用自己嚼碎的草药为蹄子敷药膏，她和本杰明都劝拳师少劳累。 —

“A horse’s lungs do not last for ever,” she said to him. But Boxer would not listen. —
“马的肺不会永远保持健康，” 她对他说。但拳师不听。 —

He had, he said, only one real ambition left–to see the windmill well under way before he reached the age for retirement.
他说他只有一个真正的愿望–在退休之前，看到风车进展顺利。

At the beginning, when the laws of Animal Farm were first formulated, the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at twelve, for cows at fourteen, for dogs at nine, for sheep at seven, and for hens and geese at five. —
开始时，动物庄园的法律规定，马和猪的退休年龄为12岁，奶牛为14岁，狗为9岁，绵羊为7岁，母鸡和鹅为5岁。 —

Liberal old-age pensions had been agreed upon. —
自由派的老年养老金已经得到认可。 —

As yet no animal had actually retired on pension, but of late the subject had been discussed more and more. —
然而，迄今为止，还没有动物真正退休领取养老金，但最近这个议题越来越受到讨论。 —

Now that the small field beyond the orchard had been set aside for barley, it was rumoured that a corner of the large pasture was to be fenced off and turned into a grazing-ground for superannuated animals. —
现在果园外的小块田地已经被划归为大麦种植区，有传言说大草原的一个角落将会被围起来，成为老年动物的放牧地。 —

For a horse, it was said, the pension would be five pounds of corn a day and, in winter, fifteen pounds of hay, with a carrot or possibly an apple on public holidays. —
据说，对于一匹马来说，养老金将是每天五磅玉米和冬天十五磅干草，公共假日可能还有胡萝卜或苹果。 —

Boxer’s twelfth birthday was due in the late summer of the following year.
拳击手的十二岁生日将在明年夏末到来。

Meanwhile life was hard. The winter was as cold as the last one had been, and food was even shorter. —
同时生活很艰难。这个冬天和上一年一样寒冷，食物更加匮乏。 —

Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs. —
再次减少了所有的口粮，除了猪和狗的。 —

A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism. —
Squealer解释说，过于严格的口粮平等会违背动物主义的原则。 —

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. —
无论表面现象如何，他毫不费力地向其他动物证明他们并不真正缺乏食物。 —

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. —
当然，暂时的情况下，确实有必要重新调整口粮（斯奎勒总是将其称为“调整”，而不是“减少”），但与琼斯时代相比，这个改善是巨大的。 —

Reading out the figures in a shrill, rapid voice, he proved to them in detail that they had more oats, more hay, more turnips 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 in their stalls and suffered less from fleas. —
他高声、急促地念着数字，详细向他们证明他们比琼斯时代拥有更多的燕麦、更多的干草、更多的萝卜，他们工作的时间更短，他们的饮用水质量更好，他们的寿命更长，他们的幼崽更多地存活下来，他们的畜舍中有更多的稻草，而且更少受跳蚤的困扰。 —

The animals believed every word of it. Truth to tell, Jones and all he stood for had almost faded out of their memories. —
动物们相信了他所说的每一个字。毫无疑问，琼斯及其代表的一切几乎已经在他们的记忆中消失了。 —

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. —
他们知道现如今的生活是艰苦而贫乏的，他们经常感到饥饿和寒冷，除了睡觉的时候，他们通常都在工作。 —

But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. —
但无疑在过去的日子里情况更糟。 —

They were glad to believe so. —
他们很高兴相信这一点。 —

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.
此外，在那些日子里他们曾经是奴隶而现在他们是自由的，这就是所有的不同之处，正如斯奎勒并没有忘记指出的。

There were many more mouths to feed now. —
现在有许多嘴要喂。 —

In the autumn the four sows had all littered about simultaneously, producing thirty-one young pigs between them. —
秋天的时候，四头母猪同时生下了31头小猪。 —

The young pigs were piebald, and as Napoleon was the only boar on the farm, it was possible to guess at their parentage. —
这些小猪是花斑的，由于拿破仑是农场唯一的公猪，所以可以猜测它们的亲子关系。 —

It was announced that later, when bricks and timber had been purchased, a schoolroom would be built in the farmhouse garden. —
宣布将来，当砖块和木材购买到位后，将在农舍花园里建造一间教室。 —

For the time being, the young pigs were given their instruction by Napoleon himself in the farmhouse kitchen. —
暂时，小猪们在农舍的厨房里由拿破仑亲自教导。 —

They took their exercise in the garden, and were discouraged from playing with the other young animals. —
他们在花园里锻炼身体，并被劝阻与其他年轻动物一起玩耍。 —

About this time, too, 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: —
同时，还规定了一条规则：当一头猪和其他动物在路上相遇时，其他动物必须让道。 —

and also that all pigs, of whatever degree, were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons on their tails on Sundays.
而且，不论是什么等级的猪，都有权利在星期天在尾巴上系上绿丝带。

The farm had had a fairly successful year, but was still short of money. —
农场过去一年虽然相当成功，但仍然缺钱。 —

There were the bricks, sand, and lime for the schoolroom to be purchased, and it would also be necessary to begin saving up again for the machinery for the windmill. —
需要购买砖头、沙子和石灰用于学堂的建设，还需要开始再次储蓄购买风车的机器。 —

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. —
还需要购买灯油和蜡烛供家中使用，糖供给拿破仑自己的餐桌（他禁止其他猪吃糖，理由是会让它们变胖），以及所有常规的替换品，如工具、钉子、绳子、煤炭、电线、废铁和狗饼干。 —

A stump of hay and part of the potato crop were sold off, and the contract for eggs was increased to six hundred a week, so that that year the hens barely hatched enough chicks to keep their numbers at the same level. —
一部分干草和部分土豆作物被卖掉了，而鸡蛋的供应合约增加到每周六百个，因此那年鸡只孵出的小鸡数量勉强能维持在同样的水平。 —

Rations, reduced in December, were reduced again in February, and lanterns in the stalls were forbidden to save oil. —
饲料在十二月时减少了，然后在二月时再次减少，为了节省油，马厩里的灯笼被禁止使用了。 —

But the pigs seemed comfortable enough, and in fact were putting on weight if anything. —
但是猪看起来很舒适，事实上它们的体重还有所增加。 —

One afternoon in late February a warm, rich, appetising scent, such as the animals had never smelt before, wafted itself across the yard from the little brew-house, which had been disused in Jones’s time, and which stood beyond the kitchen. —
二月末的一个下午，从鸡场外的小酿酒厂传来了一种温暖、浓郁、令人垂涎欲滴的香气，这是动物们从未闻过的味道。 —

Someone said it was the smell of cooking barley. —
有人说那是煮大麦的味道。 —

The animals sniffed the air hungrily and wondered whether a warm mash was being prepared for their supper. —
动物们饥肠辘辘地嗅着空气，纳闷着它们的晚餐是否正在准备一份温热的糊状食物。 —

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. —
但是没有出现温热的糊状食物，接下来的星期天宣布，从现在开始所有的大麦都将保留给猪们。 —

The field beyond the orchard had already been sown with barley. —
果园以外的田地已经播种了大麦。 —

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 tureen.
消息很快泄露出去，每只猪现在每天都能得到一品脱的啤酒配给，而拿破仑本人则有半加仑的份量，总是用皇冠德比汤瓷碗盛放给他。

But if there were hardships to be borne, they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. —
但是，虽然要承受一些困难，但现在的生活比以前更有尊严，这在一定程度上得到了抵消。 —

There were more songs, more speeches, more processions. —
有更多的歌曲，更多的演讲，更多的游行。 —

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
拿破仑下令，每周一次要举行一次名为”自发示威”的活动，其目的是庆祝动物农场的斗争和胜利。在指定的时间，动物们会放下手头的工作，按军事组织，绕着农场的地界行军，猪带头，然后是马，牛，羊和家禽。

military formation, with the pigs leading, then the horses, then the cows, then the sheep, and then the poultry. —
狗守护着队伍，而所有动物的前面正是拿破仑的黑色雄鸡。 —

The dogs flanked the procession and at the head of all marched Napoleon’s black cockerel. —
All the animals were now present except Moses, the tame raven, who slept on a perch behind the back door. —

Boxer and Clover always carried between them a green banner marked with the hoof and the horn and the caption, “Long live Comrade Napoleon!” Afterwards there were recitations of poems composed in Napoleon’s honour, and a speech by Squealer giving particulars of the latest increases in the production of foodstuffs, and on occasion a shot was fired from the gun. —
拳击手和克洛弗总是带着一面印有蹄角标志和字幕“拿破仑同志万岁！”的绿色旗帜。之后，会朗诵为了纪念拿破仑而作的诗，史奎勒会发表关于食品生产最新增长的详细情况的演讲，有时还会有枪声。 —

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 tremendous bleating of “Four legs good, two legs bad!” But by and large the animals enjoyed these celebrations. —
绵羊们是最热衷于自发示威的动物，如果有人抱怨（有时会有一些动物抱怨，当没有猪或狗在附近时），说他们浪费时间，意味着要在寒冷中站很久，绵羊们肯定会用强大的鸣叫声“四腿好，两腿坏！”来使他安静下来。但总的来说，动物们都喜欢这些庆祝活动。 —

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. —
他们觉得被提醒自己真正是自己的主人，并且他们的工作是为了自己的利益，这让他们感到安慰。 —

So that, what with the songs, the processions, Squealer’s lists of figures, the thunder of the gun, the crowing of the cockerel, and the fluttering of the flag, they were able to forget that their bellies were empty, at least part of the time.
因此，有了歌曲、游行队伍、斯卡勒的数字清单、枪声、公鸡的啼鸣和旗帜的飘扬，它们至少在某种程度上能够忘记他们的肚子是空的。

In April, Animal Farm was proclaimed a Republic, and it became necessary to elect a President. —
四月份，动物庄园宣布成立了一个共和国，并且有必要选举一位总统。 —

There was only one candidate, Napoleon, who was elected unanimously. —
只有一个候选人，那就是拿破仑，他被全票选举上任。 —

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 stratagem, but had been openly fighting on Jones’s side. —
当天还宣布发现了新的文件，揭示了有关斯诺布尔与琼斯勾结的更多细节。现在看来，斯诺布尔并不像动物们之前想象的那样，仅仅是通过一个计谋试图败坏奶牛棚战斗，而是公然站在琼斯的一方进行战斗。 —

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.
事实上，他实际上是人类军队的领导者，并且带着“人类万岁！”的口号冲向战斗。他的嘴唇上。还有几只动物依然记得看见过Snowball背上的伤口，那是拿破仑的牙齿造成的。

In the middle of the summer Moses the raven suddenly reappeared on the farm, after an absence of several years. —
在盛夏时节，几年的离开之后，鸦子莫西斯突然又出现在农场上。 —

He was quite unchanged, still did no work, and talked in the same strain as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. —
他一点都没变，还是不做工作，一如既往地唠叨着关于“糖果山”的话题。 —

He would perch on a stump, flap his black wings, and talk by the hour to anyone who would listen. —
他会栖息在树桩上，拍动黑色的翅膀，向愿意听的人滔滔不绝地讲。 —

“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, Sugarcandy Mountain, that happy country where we poor animals shall rest for ever from our labours!” 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. —
“同志们，在那边，”他庄重地指着天空，用他那宽大的喙说道，“在那边，就在你们能看见的那团黑云的另一边，那里就是‘糖果山’，那个我们可怜的动物将永远远离劳苦的幸福国度！” 他甚至声称曾经在飞行中到过那里，看见了永恒的苜蓿田和在篱笆上生长的亚麻饼和块状糖。 —

Many of the animals believed him. Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; —
许多动物相信了他。他们推理说，现在他们的生活是饥饿和劳累的； —

was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else? —
难道不应该在另一个地方存在一个更好的世界吗？ —

A thing that was difficult to determine was the attitude of the pigs towards Moses. They all declared contemptuously that his stories about Sugarcandy 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.
一个难以确定的事情是猪对摩西的态度。他们都轻蔑地宣称他关于糖果山的故事是谎言，然而他们却允许他留在农场，不用工作，每天还发给他一杯啤酒的津贴。

After his hoof had healed up, Boxer worked harder than ever. —
蹄子好了以后，拖拉机比以往更加努力地工作。事实上， —

Indeed, all the animals worked like slaves that year. —
所有的动物都像奴隶一样辛勤劳作着那一年。 —

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. —
除了农场的常规工作和风车的重建外，还有年轻猪的学校，这个学校是在三月份开办的。有时，长时间的工作加上不足的食物让人难以忍受，但拖拉机从未动摇过。 —

In nothing that he said or did was there any sign that his strength was not what it had been. —
在他的言行中没有任何迹象表明他的力量不如以前了。 —

It was only his appearance that was a little altered; —
只是他的外貌有些改变。 —

his hide was less shiny than it had used to be, and his great haunches seemed to have shrunken. —
他的皮毛不再像以前那样发亮，他那强健的腰肢似乎也缩小了。 —

The others said, “Boxer will pick up when the spring grass comes on”; —
其他动物说：“春草长起来后，拳师会恢复体重的。 —

but the spring came and Boxer grew no fatter. —
”但是春天来了，拳师并没有变胖。 —

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. —
有时在通往采石场顶部的斜坡上，当他用力支撑着某一块巨大的巨石时，似乎他站稳脚跟的唯一支撑就是继续的意愿。 —

At such times his lips were seen to form the words, “I will work harder”; he had no voice left. —
这些时候，人们可以看到他的嘴唇形成了“我会更加努力工作”的字样，但是他已经喘不过气来了。 —

Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health, but Boxer paid no attention. —
Clover和Benjamin再次警告他要注意健康，但是拳师没有理会。 —

His twelfth birthday was approaching. —
他的十二岁生日即将到来。 —

He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension. —
他不在乎发生什么事情，只要他在退休之前积攒了大量的石头。 —

Late one evening in the summer, a sudden rumour ran round the farm that something had happened to Boxer. He had gone out alone to drag a load of stone down to the windmill. —
夏天的一个晚上，农场传来了一个突然的谣言，说拳师出事了。他独自出去拉一车石头下风车。 —

And sure enough, the rumour was true. —
果然，谣言是真的。几分钟后， —

A few minutes later two pigeons came racing in with the news; —
两只鸽子飞速传来消息：“拖拉机马已经倒下了！ 他侧卧着， —

“Boxer has fallen! —
无法站起来！” —

He is lying on his side and can’t get up!”
他躺在一侧，无法站起来！”

About half the animals on the farm rushed out to the knoll where the windmill stood. —
农场上大约一半的动物冲向风车所在的小山丘。 —

There lay Boxer, between the shafts of the cart, his neck stretched out, unable even to raise his head. —
拖拉机马躺在推车的轮梁之间，脖子伸着，甚至抬不起头。 —

His eyes were glazed, his sides matted with sweat. —
他的眼睛呆滞，两侧粘着汗水。 —

A thin stream of blood had trickled out of his mouth. —
一道细细的血流从他的嘴边流出。 —

Clover dropped to her knees at his side.
小马克乌在他身旁跪下。

“Boxer!” she cried, “how are you?”
“拖拉机马！”她喊道，“你怎么样？”

“It is my lung,” said Boxer in a weak voice. —
“是我的肺。”拖拉机马用虚弱的声音说：“没关系。 —

“It does not matter. I think you will be able to finish the windmill without me. —
我想你们可以在没有我的情况下完成风车。已经积攒了相当数量的石头。其实我本来还有一个月的时间。” —

There is a pretty good store of stone accumulated. —
“说实话， —

I had only another month to go in any case. —
我一直期待着退休。” —

To tell you the truth, I had been looking forward to my retirement. —
或许，由于本杰明也变老了，他们会让他同时退休，成为我的伴侣。” —

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.”
“我们必须立即寻求帮助。”克洛弗说道，“有人快点跑去告诉斯奎勒发生了什么事。”

All the other animals immediately raced back to the farmhouse to give Squealer the news. —
其他的动物立刻一起冲回了农舍，把消息告诉斯奎勒。 —

Only Clover remained, and Benjamin who lay down at Boxer’s side, and, without speaking, kept the flies off him with his long tail. —
只有克洛弗和平躺在拳师身边的本杰明，静静地用他的长尾巴把苍蝇赶走。 —

After about a quarter of an hour Squealer appeared, full of sympathy and concern. —
大约过了一个小时，斯奎勒出现了，他充满同情和关心。 —

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 Willingdon. —
“拿破仑同志已经听说了农场上其中一个最忠诚的工人遭遇了这场不幸，他感到非常痛心，并已经在安排送拳师去威林登的医院治疗。” —

The animals felt a little uneasy at this. —
动物们对此感到有些不安。 —

Except for Mollie 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. —
除了莫利和雪球，没有其他动物离开过农场，他们不愿意想象他们生病的同伴会被人类接手。 —

However, Squealer easily convinced them that the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon could treat Boxer’s case more satisfactorily than could be done on the farm. —
然而，Squealer轻而易举地说服他们，在Willingdon的兽医可以比农场上其他人更令人满意地治疗Boxer的病情。 —

And about half an hour later, when Boxer had somewhat recovered, he was with difficulty got on to his feet, and managed to limp back to his stall, where Clover and Benjamin had prepared a good bed of straw for him.
大约半个小时后，当Boxer稍微恢复了一些，他艰难地站起来，勉强踱步回到了他的畜栏，在那里，Clover和Benjamin为他准备了一张舒适的草铺。

For the next two days Boxer remained in his stall. —
接下来的两天里，Boxer一直待在他的畜栏里。 —

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. —
猪们派出了一瓶他们在浴室的药物柜里找到的粉色药剂，Clover每天两次在饭后给Boxer服用。 —

In the evenings she lay in his stall and talked to him, while Benjamin kept the flies off him. —
晚上，她躺在他的畜栏里跟他说话，而Benjamin则赶走着苍蝇。 —

Boxer professed not to be sorry for what had happened. —
Boxer声称对发生的事情并不感到抱歉。 —

If he made a good recovery, he might expect to live another three years, and he looked forward to the peaceful days that he would spend in the corner of the big pasture. —
如果他康复得好，他可以期待再活三年，他期待着将在大牧场的角落里度过平静的日子。 —

It would be the first time that he had had leisure to study and improve his mind. —
这将是他第一次有时间去学习和提高自己的思想。 —

He intended, he said, to devote the rest of his life to learning the remaining twenty-two letters of the alphabet.
他说他打算将余下的二十二个字母花费在学习上。

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. —
然而，本杰明和克洛弗只能在工作时间之后和拜克狗在一起，当送走他的大篷车到来时，正好是白天。 —

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. —
动物们正在一个猪的监督下工作，除草萝卜时，看到本杰明从农舍方向奔腾而来，高声嘶鸣，他们感到惊讶。 —

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. —
这是他们第一次看到本杰明激动，实际上，这是第一次有人看到他奔跑。“快，快！”他喊道。“快来！他们要把拜克狗带走了！”在猪的指示下不等命令，动物们停下了工作， —

“Quick, quick!” he shouted. “Come at once! They’re taking Boxer away!” Without waiting for orders from the pig, the animals broke off work and raced back to the farm buildings. —
飞快地跑回农舍。请立即来！他们正在带走拜克狗！”没有等待猪的命令，动物们中止了工作，飞快地跑回农舍。 —

Sure enough, there in the yard was a large closed van, drawn by two horses, with lettering on its side and a sly-looking man in a low-crowned bowler hat sitting on the driver’s seat. —
果然，在院子里有一辆大马车，由两匹马拉着，车身上标有字迹，一个戴着低顶圆顶礼帽的奸诈男子坐在马车驾驶座上。 —

And Boxer’s stall was empty.
而拳击手的马厩却是空的。

The animals crowded round the van. “Good-bye, Boxer!” they chorused, “good-bye!”
动物们围着马车挤了过去。“拜拜，拳击手！”他们合唱道，“拜拜！”

“Fools! Fools!” shouted Benjamin, prancing round them and stamping the earth with his small hoofs. —
“傻瓜！傻瓜！”本杰明大叫着，在他们中间腾跃着，用他小小的马蹄在地上踏着。 —

“Fools! Do you not see what is written on the side of that van?”
“傻瓜！难道你们没看到马车上写的是什么吗？”

That gave the animals pause, and there was a hush. —
这引起了动物们的停顿，一片寂静。 —

Muriel began to spell out the words. —
缪莉尔开始拼读那些字。 —

But Benjamin pushed her aside and in the midst of a deadly silence he read:
但本杰明把她推开，在一片死寂中，他读出了：“‘阿尔弗雷德·西蒙兹，马屠夫和煮胶厂商，威灵顿。提供皮革和骨粉。供应犬舍。’”

”‘Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.’ Do you not understand what that means? —
“你们难道不明白那意味着什么吗？他们要把拳击手送到屠户那儿去！”所有动物们都发出了惊恐的呼声。就在这时， —

They are taking Boxer to the knacker’s!”
马车上的人抽打马匹，马车以敏捷的步伐离开了院子。

A cry of horror burst from all the animals. —
所有动物都愤怒地哭喊起来。 —

At this moment the man on the box whipped up his horses and the van moved out of the yard at a smart trot. —
—

All the animals followed, crying out at the tops of their voices. —
所有的动物跟着，用尽全力高声呼喊着。 —

Clover forced her way to the front. —
克洛弗挤到了最前面。 —

The van began to gather speed. —
货车开始加速。 —

Clover tried to stir her stout limbs to a gallop, and achieved a canter. “Boxer!” she cried. “Boxer! Boxer! —
克洛弗努力激活她粗壮的四肢，实现了小跑的速度。“拳击手！”她喊道。“拳击手！拳击手！拳击手！ —

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.
”就在这时，好像他听到了外面的喧嚣，有一个有着鼻子上白色条纹的拳击手的脸从货车后面的小窗口露出来。

“Boxer!” cried Clover in a terrible voice. “Boxer! Get out! —
“拳击手！”克洛弗用可怕的声音喊道。“拳击手！ —

Get out quickly! They’re taking you to your death!”
快出来！他们要把你送上死亡之路！”

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. —
所有的动物都加入了“出来，拳击手，出来！”的呼声。但是货车已经开始加速，远离他们。 —

It was uncertain whether Boxer had understood what Clover had said. —
不确定拳击手是否理解了克洛弗说的话。 —

But a moment later his face disappeared from the window and there was the sound of a tremendous drumming of hoofs inside the van. —
但是一会儿之后，他的脸从窗口消失了，货车内传来了巨大的马蹄声。 —

He was trying to kick his way out. —
他试图用脚踢出来。曾经， —

The time had been when a few kicks from Boxer’s hoofs would have smashed the van to matchwood. —
几只骏马的一脚就能将这辆货车摧毁成碎木头。但是遗憾的是！ —

But alas! —
—

his strength had left him; —
他的力量已经离他而去; —

and in a few moments the sound of drumming hoofs grew fainter and died away. —
不久，踏蹄的声音渐渐变得微弱，最终消失了。 —

In desperation the animals began appealing to the two horses which drew the van to stop. —
绝望中，动物们开始呼吁拉车的两匹马停下来。“同志们， —

“Comrades, comrades!” they shouted. —
同志们！”他们喊道。 —

“Don’t take your own brother to his death! —
“不要带你自己的兄弟去送死！ —

“But the stupid brutes, too ignorant to realise what was happening, merely set back their ears and quickened their pace. —
”但是这些愚蠢的动物们太无知了，无法意识到正在发生什么，他们只是竖起耳朵，加快了脚步。 —

Boxer’s face did not reappear at the window. Too late, someone thought of racing ahead and shutting the five-barred gate; —
Boxer的脸没有再从窗户出现。为时已晚，有人想到前面赶去在五道栏杆的门口关上大门； —

but in another moment the van was through it and rapidly disappearing down the road. —
但是转瞬之间，货车已经穿过大门，快速消失在路上。 —

Boxer was never seen again.
再也没有人看到Boxer了。

Three days later it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willingdon, in spite of receiving every attention a horse could have. —
三天后，有人宣布他在威灵顿的医院里去世了，尽管接受了一切可以给予马匹的照顾。 —

Squealer came to announce the news to the others. He had, he said, been present during Boxer’s last hours.
小猪跑来告诉其他的动物这个消息。他说自己在拳击手最后时刻都在场。

“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. —
小猪抬起他的蹄子擦去眼泪，说：“这是我见过的最感人的一幕！我一直守在他的床边，直到最后一刻。 —

And at the end, almost too weak to speak, he whispered in my ear that his sole sorrow was to have passed on before the windmill was finished. —
临终时，他已经虚弱到几乎说不出话了，他在我耳边低语道，他唯一的遗憾是没有看到风车完工。 —

‘Forward, comrades!’ he whispered. —
‘同志们，向前进！’他低语着。 —

‘Forward in the name of the Rebellion. —
‘以起义的名义向前进。 —

Long live Animal Farm! —
动物农场万岁！ —

Long live Comrade Napoleon! Napoleon is always right.’ Those were his very last words, comrades.”
拿破仑同志万岁！拿破仑同志永远正确。’这是他说的最后的话，同志们。”

Here Squealer’s demeanour suddenly changed. —
在这里，小猪的态度突然改变了。 —

He fell silent for a moment, and his little eyes darted suspicious glances from side to side before he proceeded.
他沉默了一会儿，他的小眼睛从一边闪烁着恶意的眼神，然后继续说。

It had come to his knowledge, he said, that a foolish and wicked rumour had been circulated at the time of Boxer’s removal. —
他得知，在拳击手离开的时候，有一个愚蠢而邪恶的谣言在传播。 —

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 knacker’s. —
一些动物注意到把拖走箱子的货车上写着“屠宰场马医”，它们误以为箱子被送去屠宰场了。 —

It was almost unbelievable, said Squealer, that any animal could be so stupid. —
斯奎勒说，有些动物如此愚蠢，简直难以置信。 —

Surely, he cried indignantly, whisking his tail and skipping from side to side, surely they knew their beloved Leader, Comrade Napoleon, better than that? —
他愤慨地大喊道，摇动着尾巴，一边跳来跳去，他们难道不了解他们心爱的领导者，拿破仑同志吗？ —

But the explanation was really very simple. —
但是解释实际上很简单。 —

The van had previously been the property of the knacker, and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon, who had not yet painted the old name out. —
那辆车以前是屠宰场的财产，被兽医买下来后还没来得及涂掉旧名字。 —

That was how the mistake had arisen.
这就是误解产生的原因。

The animals were enormously relieved to hear this. —
动物们听到这个消息后感到非常宽慰。 —

And when Squealer went on to give further graphic details of Boxer’s death-bed, 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 comrade’s death was tempered by the thought that at least he had died happy.
当斯奎勒继续详细描述了拳师临终时的情景、他所受到的出色照顾以及拿破仑支付的昂贵药物时，他们最后的疑虑消失了，对同伴的死亡感到的悲伤被一个想法所减轻，那就是至少他死得开心。

Napoleon himself appeared at the meeting on the following Sunday morning and pronounced a short oration in Boxer’s honour. —
拿破仑本人在接下来的星期日早上出现在会议上，并发表了一篇简短的为拳师致敬的演讲。 —

It had not been possible, he said, to bring back their lamented comrade’s 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. —
他说，不可能将他们惋惜的同志的遗体送回农场下葬，但他已命令从农舍花园的月桂树做一个大花圈并送去放在拳师的坟墓上。 —

And in a few days’ time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in Boxer’s honour. —
而几天后，猪们打算举行一场为拳师举行的纪念盛宴。 —

Napoleon ended his speech with a reminder of Boxer’s two favourite 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.
拿破仑在演讲结束时提醒大家博克斯最喜欢的两句箴言：“我会更加努力工作”和“拿破仑同志永远正确”–他说每个动物都应该把这些箴言当作自己的座右铭。

On the day appointed for the banquet, a grocer’s van drove up from Willingdon and delivered a large wooden crate at the farmhouse. —
在宴会约定的那天，一辆食品杂货车从威林顿赶来，并在农舍送来了一个大木箱。 —

That night there was the sound of uproarious singing, which was followed by what sounded like a violent quarrel and ended at about eleven o’clock with a tremendous crash of glass. —
那个晚上传来一阵喧闹的歌声，随后似乎是一场激烈的争吵，最后在晚上11点左右以一声巨大的玻璃碎裂声结束。 —

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 whisky.
次日中午前，农舍里没有人动弹，消息传开，猪们从某个地方弄到了钱，买了另一箱威士忌。