eastward, and hurricanes are more frequent, but there is better shelter, and fresh water is more easily obtained.
The
loss of life and material from hurricanes has been very great. When a
vessel has succeeded in entering a creek, she is beached as high up as
possible, and moored as securely as can be in the most sheltered spot.
If the hurricane actually comes on, it is best to leave the ship and
get up on the sand hills, as the tide rises considerably above
high-water mark, and the low land is flooded : on these sand hills both
white and black men are huddled together, but the exposure is very
severe. The vessel will probably be driven inland some distance or
lodged amongst the mangroves.
Sharks
and porpoises are driven on shore and killed, and vessels that have not
succeeded in entering a creek, are either totally lost, driven in
shore, or scuttled in shallow water.
The
greatest difficulty attending the successful prosecution of the West
Australian fisheries is, as on all other grounds, the supply of divers.
The usual plan in the North-west is to take up a tract of land for a
sheep or a cattle station ; thus most of the Nor' Westers are styled in
the official directory, " Pearlers and Graziers."
It may be of interest in this place to say
