After the soldiers left, the general turned to the boy.
‘Well, Yusuf, are you sure that you want to be a soldier?’
‘I’ll do my best, Uncle.’
‘If you want to be one of my soldiers, you’ll do what I tell you.
Do you understand?’
‘Yes, Uncle.’
Shirkuh now turned to his brother.
‘Ayyub, I’ll take the boy, but only because you and I are
brothers. I don’t think that he’ll be a good fighter or a soldier,
but we’ll see. If he’s any trouble, he goes home – at once!’