It was a long time before Yusuf and his men saw the general
again. For months Yusuf and his small army fought to keep
Alexandria safe from the Franks. The enemy came by land and
by sea. No food or help could come into the town from outside
and siege engines sent stones and dead animals over the city
walls. This made life terrible for the people and the soldiers
inside the city. Many were ill, all were hungry, and many died.
But Yusuf kept his men fighting, while he worked as hard as
possible to make the lives of the people of Alexandria easier.