On the morning of the Cantua massacre, two of Murrieta’s men, Ochovo and Lopez were on lookout when Capt Harry Love and his Rangers overtook them on a bluff above the creek. The rest of Joaquin’s vaqueros were just making sunrise, rolling out of their blankets, taking a broad yawn and letting off a good fart. Coming in from the rising sun – a part of tale that sounds romantic enough, but as with much of the Murrieta mythology, is dispelled by Latta, pointing out the geographical unlikelihood. It is more probable that they were dozing on watch and Love and company got the drop and woke them with the barrel end of their Colt six shooters. By accounts, they were then tied to a tree, where, if they didn’t see, they certainly heard the gun battle below. Approaching the campfire, Lieutenant Connor notes in his report, that Tres Dedos is seen putting something in the coffee grinds, presumably a bag of gold, is gunned down with seven balls, and the rest of the shooting begins. This has always been a point of interest to me, coming from accounts later scribed in reports (both Love’s and Connor’s) – for Murrieta’s trove, one that every one of the Rangers were aware of, and no doubt had designs upon, was a half a ton in nuggets, and the dust recovered in the bottom of the overturned coffee pot was worth less than the price of one California Mustang. And yet, it is turned in, as perhaps some justification for the brutality of the raid. This should not come as a surprise, for if one was after a pile of already stolen loot, you are not going to admit to knowing of its existence, let alone, report the find, however, to bring the attention to the concealing of gold, is curious, and throws the whole issue up to speculation, as if to say: ‘we could have easily kept this a secret and kept the gold, but we didn’t’ – as a way of defending their integrity against the accusation, or suspicion of impropriety – I will take up the fate of Joaquin’s treasure, as it is of central importance to the story, in another post.