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courtly manners and easy adaptability. A first-
rate horseman, a keen sportsman and an excellent
shot, he could not fail to win the good-will of one
who had the same qualities latent in him, and
who was to give them full play till he was looked
upon as an expert himself. Ali Baig's silent
accommodating manner which anticipated his
master's wishes, did not fail to have its full reward;
and in course of time he became Nawab Afsar
Jung and a man of consequence. He was raised
to the rank of a colonel in the British army after
the Chitral expedition, and received the honour
of K.C.I.E.
He continued to rise in favour with the
Nizam and benefited more and more by his muni-
ficence ; and on the death of Col. Neville he was
made commander of the Nizam's Regular Forces.
The selection was a good one, for the reforms
effected by him in equipment and efficiency from
time to time, made our troops more or less up-to-
date. It was a happy inspiration that sug-
gested to him the extension of the military lines
towards the ancient fortress of Golconda. With
resourcefulness, careful attention and unremit-
ting energy he succeeded in a few years in giving
to Hyderabad a picturesque, well-planned, military
cantonment extending from the outskirts of
Saifabad right up to historic Golconda, prolific
of memories.
His ability was duly recognised by the British
Government; he served on the staffs of some
generals during the Great War of 1914, was