His Highness, with Colonel Gordon and Abu Shama, received the rank of Sagol. He was also granted the rank of Bakkabashi within that period. His Highness graciously accepted my request to grant Colonel Gordon the rank of Sagol, in recognition of the services I had rendered in the Equatorial Line conquests. His Highness also addressed me with words of encouragement and promised promotion if I continued on the path that Colonel Gordon had set for me. He turned to the Director of the Army and said, "If you saw the letters I received from Colonel Gordon, both from the Army and from the French, praising this man, you would know that he is a man of great merit." He then said, "Treat me as you would treat others." I thanked His Highness for his noble intentions and left, accompanied by the Director of the Army, who seemed to have something on his mind. He invited me to ride in his carriage to the Directorate of the Army. As we were going, we were arguing about Colonel Gordon's hasty promotions. I refuted him, saying that when I held the rank of Amir al-Ay, I was younger than him. He said, "No, when I was promoted to the rank of Amir al-Ay, I was thirty-two years old." I asked him how old he thought I was. He replied, "Twenty years old, or a little more." I said, "I am thirty years old, and I have earned my rank through hardship and suffering in conquering new lands." Our conversation ended upon our arrival at the Diwan, where he ordered me to report to him regularly, hoping to find a suitable position for me. I continued to report for two months, but the Director of the Army did not offer me a position, whether suitable or not.