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Here Squealer's demeanour suddenly changed.
講到這里，斯奎拉忽然變了臉色。
He fell silent for a moment, and his little eyes darted suspicious glances from side to side before he proceeded.
他沉默一會，用他那雙小眼睛射出的疑神疑鬼的目光掃視了一下會場，才繼續講下去。
It had come to his knowledge, he said, that a foolish and wicked rumour had been circulated at the time of Boxer's removal.
他說，據他所知，鮑克瑟給拉走后，莊園上流傳著一個愚蠢的、不懷好意的謠言。
Some of the animals had noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked "Horse Slaughterer."
有的動物注意到，拉走鮑克瑟的馬車上有"屠馬商"的標記。
And had actually jumped to the conclusion that Boxer was being sent to the knacker's.
他們就信口開河地說，鮑克瑟被送到宰馬場了。
It was almost unbelievable, said Squealer, that any animal could be so stupid.
斯奎拉說，幾乎難以置信竟有這么傻的動物。
Surely, he cried indignantly, whisking his tail and skipping from side to side, surely they knew their beloved Leader, Comrade Napoleon, better than that?
他擺著尾巴左右蹦跳著，憤憤地責問，從這一點來看，他們真的很了解敬愛的領袖拿破侖同志嗎？
But the explanation was really very simple.
其實，答案十分簡單。
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.
那輛車以前曾歸一個屠馬商所有，但獸醫院已買下了它，不過他們還沒有來得及把舊名字涂掉。
That was how the mistake had arisen.
正是因為這一點，才引起大家的誤會。
The animals were enormously relieved to hear this.
動物們聽到這里，都大大地松了一口氣。
And when Squealer went on to give further graphic details of Boxer's death-bed, the admirable care he had received,
接著斯奎拉繼續繪聲繪色地描述著鮑克瑟的靈床和他所受到的優待，
and the expensive medicines for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost,
還有拿破侖為他不惜一切代價購置的貴重藥品等等細節，
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.
于是他們打消了最后一絲疑慮，想到他們的同志在幸福中死去，他們的悲哀也消解了。
Napoleon himself appeared at the meeting on the following Sunday morning and pronounced a short oration in Boxer's honour.
在接下來那個星期天早晨的會議上，拿破侖親自到會，為向鮑克瑟致敬宣讀了一篇簡短的悼辭。
It had not been possible, he said, to bring back their lamented comrade's remains for interment on the farm,
他說，已經不可能把他們亡故的同志的遺體拉回來并埋葬在莊園里了。
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，用莊主院花園里的月桂花做一個大花圈，送到鮑克瑟的墓前。
And in a few days' time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in Boxer's honour.
并且，幾天之后，豬還打算為向鮑克瑟致哀舉行一追悼宴會。
Napoleon ended his speech with a reminder of Boxer's two favourite maxims,
最后，拿破侖以"我要更加努力工作"和"拿破侖同志永遠正確"這兩句鮑克瑟心愛的格言結束了他的講話，
"I will work harder" and "Comrade Napoleon is always right"--maxims, he said, which every animal would do well to adopt as his own.
在提到這兩句格言時，他說，每個動物都應該把這兩句格言作為自己的借鑒，并認真地貫徹到實際行動中去。
On the day appointed for the banquet, a grocer's van drove up from Willingdon and delivered a large wooden crate at the farmhouse.
到了確定為宴會的那一天，一輛雜貨商的馬車從威靈頓駛來，在莊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.
當天晚上，莊主院里傳來一陣鼓噪的歌聲，在此之后，又響起了另外一種聲音，聽上去象是在激烈地吵鬧，這吵鬧聲直到十一點左右的時候，在一陣打碎了玻璃的巨響聲中才靜了下來。
No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day.
直到第二天中午之前，莊主院不見任何動靜。
And the word went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whisky.
同時，又流傳著這樣一個小道消息，說豬先前不知從哪里搞到了一筆錢，并給他們又買了一箱威士忌。
