With a thin iron collar around his neck, to which three chains were attached, held by a soldier on each side and one behind, Alcamayn was led before the Tribunal.
He was dressed in black, with a light weight iron crown on his head shaped like an inverted pentagram.
The high-priest, Imos, preceded Alcamayn, carrying a rod of iron in his hand. Stationing himself at the left of the prisoner, the high-priest waited Yermah’s question:
“Why comest thou here, Imos?”
“To claim the life of this man,” touching Alcamayn with the rod, then laying hold of him.
The prisoner made a show of resistance, until Yermah bade them relax their hold.
“Alcamayn, what means thy interference?”
“I crave the right to establish and prove my innocence,” answered the accused in an unsteady voice.
“May the life within me be forfeited, if there be no justice in my cause.” Imos spoke with decisive emphasis.
“If this man merit not death, take thou vengeance on me,” said Ben Hu Barabe, standing beside Imos.