Oh, I want to be strong like other boys!’ Now he stood for long hours in the governor’s rooms in the castle watching people asking Nuradin for help. At first everything was hard to understand, but soon Yusuf saw that Nuradin was a great man. The governor always listened to everybody – poor people, and women and children, too – not just rich and strong men. The governor studied the law and talked about difficult problems with wise men. He thought about their words and took time to find the right answer.
After three months, the governor saw that Yusuf learned quickly. People liked the boy because he was friendly to everyone. His thin face usually looked sad when he was alone, but when he spoke to people, he had a kind and happy smile. He also always tried to help anyone with troubles. Nuradin began to talk to the boy about the problems of the castle, the town and the army. The governor also talked to Yusuf about his great hope: 'One day soon I want to make all the Muslim people stop fighting each other. We must work together to take Jerusalem back from the Franks. Palestine isn’t their land after all. Nothing is more important than this, and we must all fight to make it happen!'
Now Yusuf wanted to fight the Franks too. It was wrong that they held the holy places. He also understood that Franks sometimes made friends with some Muslims and together they fought against other Muslims and took their houses, land and animals. Nothing was safe. It was also very hard for Muslims to go on pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah. The road was too dangerous because of all the Frankish castles near it.
‘I must get into Nuradin’s army! But how can I do it when Uncle Shirkuh thinks that I’m too weak? I’ll have to learn clever ways to win against stronger men. I know that the Franks are good fighters. Their horses are bigger, their soldiers wear a lot of armour, and they have many castles. But I know that we’ll win if we work together and make good plans.’From that day, he borrowed a horse and learned to use his sword day and night when he wasn’t working for Nuradin. He 4248945 Saladin FP.indd 10 20/4/10 09:23:57 wanted to show his uncle that he wasn’t just a good student of law, but also a real soldier. One day, Nuradin asked Yusuf to play polo with him. The boy ran to find a horse. He was so excited, and he forgot about everything – his uncle, the law, and even fighting the Franks! They played inside the castle walls. Everyone watched Yusuf and his horse following the ball closely, without a mistake. Polo was like a battle, fast and dangerous. Many horses fell, men were hurt, and one died when a horse ran over
him, but Yusuf rode wonderfully.