he disposes them at random on the board, and from the order they assume, determines first whether the offering shall be a goat, a sheep, or otherwise; next he ascertains whether the god is satisfied with the offering; if not, he manipulates further to ascertain whether a pair of pigeons or fowls should not be added. The preliminaries being thus arranged, he enters into his business, all the time holding a free and easy conversation with the applicant, through which he is sure to ascertain the kind of responses most welcome.
The Agugu, a fantastically attired individual, is frequently seen at Abbeokuta and other places interior. He represents the spirits of the departed, who are frequently consulted through him. No one is permitted to say he is a man, nor to touch him, under penalty of death. If he touches any one, the party touched must die—a dangerous power, it seems, to place in the hands of ignorant men, nevertheless, one never hears of its abuse. He is so dressed as to leave no part of his body exposed, and speaks in a guttural voice, assumed as a disguise.
Next to Shango, Oro, as wielding the executive functions of the government, is certainly the most terrible of their subordinate deities. Whenever a malefactor is to be punished, he is given to Oro, and after that no one knows his fate until his head is seen nailed to a
