Egypt has probably been delivered from a serious danger by
the victory which Colonel Hicks, in command of the force in the Soudan, has gained over the followers of the Mahal. He was attacked on his march to Obeid by about 4,000 men, but the Egyptians held firm, and the enemy fled, leaving 500 dead. The affair was probably not a general engagement, but it will have two important effects. It breaks the prestige of the Mahdi among his followers, and it removes the danger of the Egyptian troops going over to the Pretender. Whatever else is uncertain about the expected "Messenger," it is certain that he is expected, as the immediate Agent of Allah, to win his battles ; and that if he does not, true Mussulmans will wait until the right man appears. The troops engaged were most of them the old Egyptian soldiery, who thought their despatch to the Soudan part of their punishment.
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