Chapter 11. The Sargasso Sea

           ThatdaytheNautiluscrossedasingularpartoftheAtlanticOcean.NoonecanbeignorantoftheexistenceofacurrentofwarmwaterknownbythenameoftheGulfStream.AfterleavingtheGulfofFlorida,wewentinthedirectionofSpitzbergen.ButbeforeenteringtheGulfofMexico,about45°ofN.lat.,thiscurrentdividesintotwoarms,theprincipalonegoingtowardsthecoastofIrelandandNorway,whilstthesecondbendstothesouthabouttheheightoftheAzores;then,touchingtheAfricanshore,anddescribingalengthenedoval,returnstotheAntilles.Thissecondarm—itisratheracollarthananarm—surroundswithitscirclesofwarmwaterthatportionofthecold,quiet,immovableoceancalledtheSargassoSea,aperfectlakeintheopenAtlantic:ittakesnolessthanthreeyearsforthegreatcurrenttopassroundit.SuchwastheregiontheNautiluswasnowvisiting,aperfectmeadow,aclosecarpetofseaweed,fucus,andtropicalberries,sothickandsocompactthatthestemofavesselcouldhardlytearitswaythroughit.AndCaptainNemo,notwishingtoentanglehisscrewinthisherbaceousmass,keptsomeyardsbeneaththesurfaceofthewaves.ThenameSargassocomesfromtheSpanishword"sargazzo"whichsignifieskelp.Thiskelp,orberry-plant,istheprincipalformationofthisimmensebank.AndthisisthereasonwhytheseplantsuniteinthepeacefulbasinoftheAtlantic.Theonlyexplanationwhichcanbegiven,hesays,seemstometoresultfromtheexperienceknowntoalltheworld.Placeinavasesomefragmentsofcorkorotherfloatingbody,andgivetothewaterinthevaseacircularmovement,thescatteredfragmentswilluniteinagroupinthecentreoftheliquidsurface,thatistosay,inthepartleastagitated.Inthephenomenonweareconsidering,theAtlanticisthevase,theGulfStreamthecircularcurrent,andtheSargassoSeathecentralpointatwhichthefloatingbodiesunite.