The Secret Trails

"The Secret Trails" by Charles G. D. Roberts is a set of early 1900s short stories featuring natural encounters, wild animals, and adventure as seen through the eyes of different people and animals. Take for example "The Black Boar of Lonesome Water," the book's opening story, which introduces us to a faraway town struggling with their low-quality livestock as compared to the livestock in other towns. Morgan Fluellyn, the hog reeve, is given the job of fixing this pig problem but ends up buying a troublesome black Berkshire boar. Through humor, we see Fluellyn struggling with the pig, leading to a number of funny and disastrous events, including a fight between man and animal, resulting in Fluellyn's injury as the boar runs away into the wilderness. This story captures the overall tone of the collection through its blend of rural life, a spark of humor, and characters' interactions with nature.