Those Boers who had been on guard at the gun emplacement returned to their posts once they realized that the Riflemen had vacated the position. These men fired down the slope at the retiring Riflemen. Gough had to prevent some of his men charging back up the hill at the Boers. His diary contains the statement that he “never was in such a hot place in his life.” There was confused fighting in the bush when the Boers picked up some of the Riflemen’s calls, “’A’ Company over here” and so on. Lieutenant Gilbert Fergusson was killed near the foot of the hill.
