There were a few people in the country, including a high government official in Washington, who knew that the Lone Ranger could sometimes be reached through the padre, in a little Spanish mission. When he had a message for the masked man, the padre let the fact be known to Indians on all sides. The news traveled by word of mouth in an ever-expanding circle, until it reached Tonto or the Lone Ranger. One of these messages carried many miles before the masked man knew that he was needed at the mission. He traveled day and night, accompanied by Tonto, and finally, travel-worn and tired, brought his great horse Silver to a halt in the cool shade of the patio. Instead of the padre to welcome him though, the Lone Ranger recognized the compactly built man as an official from Washington - Drake. He wants the Lone Ranger to pose as an escaped prisoner 'Dice' Gorman, a spy, in a ruse to flush out his dangerous associates, who have been working together to undermine the United States.