234 THE RECTORY AND ITS BIRDS 



held in high honour by all who knew him. Gill 

 was like one of the ancient Huns in appearance, a 

 man of immense strength and stature, bolt upright 

 even to an advanced old age, with scanty hair, and 

 with small deep-set eyes which looked at you, with 

 a strange twinkle, from behind his prominent cheek 

 bones. He was excellent at repartee. When in 

 conversation with you, he would often walk four or 

 five steps away, as if he were off, and would then 

 return to the charge. He always spoke out exactly 

 what he thought ; and home truths came fast and 

 thick from him. There might not be much game as 

 the result of a day's shooting with him ; but he himself 

 was always game, always gave the best of sport. His 

 tart sayings kept every one in good humour and on 

 the qui vive. He could neither read nor write ; but 

 he could carry the most elaborate accounts in his head, 

 and would dictate them, with scrupulous honesty and 

 accuracy, at the end of each week, to his daughter, 

 who wrote them down for him. He could manage 

 land admirably, and could lay out a water-meadow 

 a work of considerable art with a skill which made 

 his services to be greatly in request among the 

 neighbouring gentry. He was quite alive to his 

 own merits, and placed himself on full equality, if 

 indeed in not something more than equality, with 



