He had accumulated these weapons in anticipation of an alliance against
him among his enemies. But he bethought him that the proconsul might
believe, or assert, that he had collected this armoury in order to
attack the Romans; so he hastened to offer explanations of all that
Vitellius had observed.
Some of these things did not belong to him at all, he said: many of
them were necessary to defend the place against brigands and marauders,
especially the Arabs. Many of the objects in the vault had been the
property of his father, and he had allowed them to remain untouched. As
he spoke, he managed to get in advance of the proconsul and preceded
him along the corridors with rapid steps. Presently he halted and stood
close against the wall as the party came up; he spoke quickly, standing
with his hands on his hips, so that his voluminous mantle covered a wide
space of the wall behind him. But just above his head the top of a door
was visible. Vitellius remarked it instantly, and demanded to know what
it concealed.
The tetrarch explained that the door was fastened, and that none could
open it save the Babylonian, Jacim.
"Summon him, then!" was the command.
A slave was sent to find Jacim, while the group awaited his coming.
The father of Jacim had come from the banks of the Euphrates to offer
his services, as well as those of five hundred horsemen, in the defence
of the eastern frontier. After the division of the kingdom, Jacim had
lived for a time with Philip, and was now in the service of Antipas.
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