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59
It will be remembered that when Nadir Shah took
Kandahar, he released Zulfikar Khan and his
brother Ahmad Khan from Mir Hussein's prison
and sent them to Mazindaran. Later Ahmad
Khan was appointed in command of a force of
his own tribe. It was here that he distinguished
himself. He owed his rapid advancement to his
military ability. His mental powers were con-
siderable, and to these he added the advantage of
a noble birth and great physical energy and
courage. Nadir had predicted great things of his
future. Once he said, "I have found neither in
Iran, Turan or Hind, a man equal to Ahmad
Khan Abdali's character." This estimate of
Nadir was justified by later events.
Ahmad Shah, though very young at the time
of his coronation, for he was hardly twenty-five,
proved himself a real military genius. His merits
as a soldier secured him rapid advancement at a
very early age. Now when he came to power, he
tried his best to win the affection of his people
and to weld them together into a strong nation.
When this object was achieved, he proceeded to
conduct a series of important campaigns, which
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.