When Bud Hooker offered to buy a sandwich for a shabby little man whom he assumed was the town bum, he had no idea the man was Henry Kruger, who had just sold a mine for fifty thousand dollars cash and had more besides. Thinking he may have offended the wealthy man, Hooker decided to find Kruger and apologize. Amazingly, Kruger was not offended, but impressed. The country was full of greedy, talkative men, but few generous men of few words. Kruger wanted Bud to join him in a secret business venture that would require Bud to go to Mexico, since Kruger would be too easily recognized there.