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166 both sides of the route. They went wild with enthusiasm and delight at the sight of their deliverer. Sardar Mohammad Nadir Khan was obviously moved by the extraordinary warmth of the greetings and kept his hand raised in continuous salute, bowing to each side as he rode through the streets of Kabul. In a Jirga held at Salamkhana, Sardar Mohammad Nadir Khan was unanimously elected King. King Mohammad Nadir Shah: King Mohammad Nadir Shah, the second son of Sardar Mohammad Yousuf Khan was born on April 9, 1883. In him were united the two royal houses of Mohammadzais and Sadozais. On his father's side he was the great grandson of Sardar Sultan Mohammad Khan, brother of Amir Dost Mohammad Khan, the founder of the Mohammadzai dynasty, and from his mother's side he descended from Ahmad Shah Abdali (1747-73), founder of modern Afghanistan. During the reign of Amir Habibullah Khan, Sardar Mohammad Nadir Khan and the members of his family, all men of great ability and exceptional administrative capacity, did their best for the advancement of the country. The family continued to serve Afghanistan during the early days of Amanullah Khan, and never willingly withdrew its co-operation. It was due to their heroic actions in the Third Anglo-Afghan War that the country gained its independence. The first aim of the King upon his succession was to restore peace and order. At the age of 47, he embarked on a task that might have daunted the bravest and wisest of diplomats. Probably nowhere in history do we find a sovereign so financially handicapped at the start. It was probably the first case of a national exchequer being absolutely bankrupt, unlined even with a single silver coin. In spite of all these obstacles, King Nadir Shah applied himself at once to the task that lay before