Saladin answered at once:
You must help your people. Forget your promise to me.
And don’t worry about your wife and children. I know
that you cannot take care of them now. Fifty of my best
men will take them safely to Tyre!
Tears came to Balian’s eyes when he read Saladin’s answer.
He thought, ‘Why aren’t our people as good as Saladin?’
Balian did his best to make the town ready for the siege, but
there were only two other knights to help him.
He said, ‘This city is full of people running away from the
other towns in Palestine that the Muslims have taken. Most of