Here Squealer's demeanour suddenly changed.

讲到这里，斯奎拉忽然变了脸色。

He fell silent for a moment, and his little eyes darted suspicious glances from side to side before he proceeded.

他沉默一会，用他那双小眼睛射出的疑神疑鬼的目光扫视了一下会场，才继续讲下去。

It had come to his knowledge, he said, that a foolish and wicked rumour had been circulated at the time of Boxer's removal.

他说，据他所知，鲍克瑟给拉走后，庄园上流传着一个愚蠢的、不怀好意的谣言。

Some of the animals had noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked "Horse Slaughterer."

有的动物注意到，拉走鲍克瑟的马车上有"屠马商"的标记。

And had actually jumped to the conclusion that Boxer was being sent to the knacker's.

他们就信口开河地说，鲍克瑟被送到宰马场了。

It was almost unbelievable, said Squealer, that any animal could be so stupid.

斯奎拉说，几乎难以置信竟有这么傻的动物。

Surely, he cried indignantly, whisking his tail and skipping from side to side, surely they knew their beloved Leader, Comrade Napoleon, better than that?

他摆着尾巴左右蹦跳着，愤愤地责问，从这一点来看，他们真的很了解敬爱的领袖拿破仑同志吗？

But the explanation was really very simple.

其实，答案十分简单。

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.

那辆车以前曾归一个屠马商所有，但兽医院已买下了它，不过他们还没有来得及把旧名字涂掉。

That was how the mistake had arisen.

正是因为这一点，才引起大家的误会。

The animals were enormously relieved to hear this.

动物们听到这里，都大大地松了一口气。

And when Squealer went on to give further graphic details of Boxer's death-bed, the admirable care he had received,

接着斯奎拉继续绘声绘色地描述着鲍克瑟的灵床和他所受到的优待，

and the expensive medicines for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost,

还有拿破仑为他不惜一切代价购置的贵重药品等等细节，

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.

于是他们打消了最后一丝疑虑，想到他们的同志在幸福中死去，他们的悲哀也消解了。

Napoleon himself appeared at the meeting on the following Sunday morning and pronounced a short oration in Boxer's honour.

在接下来那个星期天早晨的会议上，拿破仑亲自到会，为向鲍克瑟致敬宣读了一篇简短的悼辞。

It had not been possible, he said, to bring back their lamented comrade's remains for interment on the farm,

他说，已经不可能把他们亡故的同志的遗体拉回来并埋葬在庄园里了。

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.

但他已指示，用庄主院花园里的月桂花做一个大花圈，送到鲍克瑟的墓前。

And in a few days' time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in Boxer's honour.

并且，几天之后，猪还打算为向鲍克瑟致哀举行一追悼宴会。

Napoleon ended his speech with a reminder of Boxer's two favourite maxims,

最后，拿破仑以"我要更加努力工作"和"拿破仑同志永远正确"这两句鲍克瑟心爱的格言结束了他的讲话，

"I will work harder" and "Comrade Napoleon is always right"--maxims, he said, which every animal would do well to adopt as his own.

在提到这两句格言时，他说，每个动物都应该把这两句格言作为自己的借鉴，并认真地贯彻到实际行动中去。

On the day appointed for the banquet, a grocer's van drove up from Willingdon and delivered a large wooden crate at the farmhouse.

到了确定为宴会的那一天，一辆杂货商的马车从威灵顿驶来，在庄主院交付了一只大木箱。

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.

当天晚上，庄主院里传来一阵鼓噪的歌声，在此之后，又响起了另外一种声音，听上去象是在激烈地吵闹，这吵闹声直到十一点左右的时候，在一阵打碎了玻璃的巨响声中才静了下来。

No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day.

直到第二天中午之前，庄主院不见任何动静。

And the word went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whisky.

同时，又流传着这样一个小道消息，说猪先前不知从哪里搞到了一笔钱，并给他们又买了一箱威士忌。