Silas Hunter was the baron of Salvation, a ville in central Texas, that grew as a result of nearby oil wells.
Silas made a deal with the barons of several nearby villes to create a coalition - everyone contributed money and manpower to work the oil wells, and they would all benefit from the proceeds. The only problem was, there was no oil - something that Hunter was desperate to conceal. He hired the companions as sec men to stop a mysterious group of mercies from sabotaging the wells (actually Hunter's men, creating delays to keep the barons from catching on) with the intent of destroying the wells for good and making them the scapegoats. They caught on to his plan, though, and dropped him down one of his own wells before making their escape. (Salvation Road)