Excellent read from an eyewitness to a lot of the earlier middle eastern and Indian campaigns. Col Maude gives a good overview of his placement into the Indian Army as a subaltern, and how he rose through the ranks up to the rank of Colonel. Maude was involved in the first and second Punjab campaigns, which are covered somewhat superficially here. He was also involved in a punitive expedition into Persia, and participated in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny. The book also covers his travels while on leave in Europe and Mesopotamia. Typical of the period, Maude is very cognizant of name dropping and talking of his social connections throughout. However, a good insight into some of the more obscure and earlier campaigns of the Indian Army. ( )