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made to the young prince and to Hyderabad ! A
few years of initiation into affairs and practical
training would have brought the great natural
talent of the Nizam into full play and given him
the self-confidence and assurance which he needed
as Ruler. As it was, he was left to his own re-
sources and had to get light as best he could ; and
by looking into himself he had to discover the
natural sources of strength. This habit grew on
him and made him meditative and he became a
deep thinker in a way, because his mind had to
wrestle with problems in secrecy and silence in a
dim chamber, as it were, till it saw light. It might
take a few days, or a few weeks or a few months ;
but he never let the question drop till he had
mastered it and come to a clear decision. It is
said that he actually shut himself up in his room
on such occasions without food and rest. This
process naturally entailed delay and made him seem
dilatory. A masterful self-reliant mind almost
deprived of extraneous facilities and aids—such
he had become, possibly because his experience
with three of his Ministers between 1884 and 1899
had not been of the happiest.

" His life seemed to have an element of
mystery^ in it. He remained absorbed in medita-
tion for days together and did not leave his room.
He had no regular meal hours ; the meals were
prepared and the dasiarkhan laid out, but he allowed
hours to pass without having a proper meal. It
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