-General Hicks was accompanied by nine English officers holding different
commands ; by Mr. O'Donovan, the able corre- spondent of the Daily News ; and by an artist employed by a German illustrated paper, who is, we have some impression, an Englishman. This artist has escaped, but the fate of the remainder is nearly certain. We would fain not extinguish hope, but the ride of a European in flight from El Obeid to Duem would be almost a miraculous feat, and the Mahdi has ordered the slaughter of all Christians, including, we suspect, all Copts. The only chance for any European present in the battle would be that he might be taken before the Mahdi, and used by him as an interpreter in communications with British officers. The fear, however, of Europeans is excessive, the slave-traders are wild with hatred, and we fear the hope, if there be .one, of any white men escaping, is wretchedly slight. Still, men of resource and energy have survived worse dangers, and an Arab never quite ignores the fact that a captive may be worth a sum of money.
