Is it over a specific topic?
Answer:
Deping on how people mean it and it is going to far or it is ok to say
Explanation:
The author tells us that it's a good thing that the cows were responsible for the wood's isolation, because if they had trodden a road through the woods, people would have come across the giant ash tree at its center.
(Hopefully this helps. I haven't read the text, but this is from research I did on your question. Have a nice day!)
A splinter is the correct answer. Hope this helps :)
