By the 11th Century, Vikings had settled on the shores of Greenland, and "as soon as they arrived, they burned woodlands to clear land for pasture, then cut down some of the remaining trees for purposes such as lumber and firewood." In the 17th Century,explorers, whalers, and fur trappers were regularly plying Arctic waters, ice, and turf. In that century, too, it's fur has been torn and thin, ribs showing. And almost always, it comes through the yard in a herd. In the early weeks, other deer would nuzzle its head, shoulders, lick its back. Sometimes the wounded deer would trail behind the others. But always, even a year later, Basque whalers sailed home to Europe with Eskimo—