Being a military general paid fairly well, but if

[Klpno]

Hi everyone.
I'd like to ask a question about using the construction "being ..."

The only thing he missed was the oak desk, which had been in his family for the past four generations. Being a military general paid fairly well, but if Harkin ever found himself hard up for cash, he suspected that he could sell the desk for several thousand credits.

As I understand the sentence says that he was a military general and he was fairly well paid and if he had financial problems he thought that he could sell the desk. But what is the construction - being... but if...?

[Mister Micawber]

.
Here, 'being a general paid well' is the first independent clause of this sentence ('Being a general' is its subject), 'but' is a coordinating conjunction, and 'if' begins the dependent clause ('if...cash') attached to the second independent clause ('he suspected...credits').

.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber

[Klpno]

Thank you very much, Mister Micawber.