The observations must be megascopic in nature, as they have to cover wide areas, and the drops — almost always of several metres or even decimetres — and the gradients, however insignificant they may seem must always be taken into consideration, as they may or may not be indicative of differential movements, the immediate consequence of which may be deviations in the courses …
Its broadest diameter runs W-E, its narrowest, N-S, ie not parallel to the sides of the block. Between those two isohypses (WSW, SE and NE of the basin) stretch semi-permanent floodplains and gullies from the last paleo-hydrogeological model …
Rising water levels are not solely due to precipitation, but also to groundwaters. The annual peaks for precipitation are reached in the storage period of monthly rainfall, aggravated by the fact that the basin is served by a single evacuator (ie evaporation), which is minimal in the months of maximum rainfall. According to official data, the highest levels recorded were those of the years 1941 and 1965, with peaks of 84.88m and 84.91m respectively, as measured by the Military Geographical Institute.
In terms of the influence of groundwaters, the directions of the run-off and the equipotential lines of the phreatic layer are indicated on Kreimer’s hydrographical map (1968). The convergence of the former and the close-packed lines indicate heavy drainage toward the central basin.
According to the bathymetry conducted in 1970, the maximum depth was 6m, and this measurement has remained constant along a 3,000m trench, approximately 2.5km N of the so-called Island Beach Resort (northern peninsula).
Elordi J & Jaimovich I La laguna Malihuel in
Estudios de geografía de la Provincia de Santa Fe
Various Authors Santa Fe GÆA 1973.
“HERE’LL DO, said the Super and Chacón and me thanked God and stowed the oars, we’d been rowing into a headwind, couldn’t move the day after, but the Super wouldn’t use the fire brigade’s rubber dinghy even if it did have an outboard motor. The moon was still up — he even made sure of that — and the sky was thick with stars, I dipped my hand in the water to wash the sweat off, it was warm I remember and if it hadn’t been for the luggage I’d of fancied a swim. A couple of officers I can’t remember who had spent the whole afternoon attaching bricks and bits of iron to him with wire till you could hardly pick him up, I can’t explain to you what he weighed nearly give myself a whatdoyoucallit a hernia I did, I ain’t saying not to take precautions but the bricks was over the top ’specially as someone else’d have to carry him afterwards … They put some sacking over him before they tied him up, he was not a pretty sight by then, looked like a big beef roulade, and with all the heaving and shoving the boat was rocking all over the place and the Super was swearing at us took three attempts to get him over the side it did, the last one nearly capsized us and we both fell backwards, me I cut my hand on the rusty wire had to have two stitches and a jab case it got infected look here I still got the scar and while we’re at it I’ll have another shot of caña to oil the gun. You still paying Buenos Aires or not? You ain’t telling me I let you down are you. Eh?”
My head hurts with the effort of remembering. Sunday the twenty-seventh they dumped him. I always went back to Buenos Aires at the beginning of March. But that left Monday the twenty-eighth. Was I in Malihuel that Monday? Did I have my usual last farewell dip in the lagoon? Maybe, if it rained that Monday, I can stop worrying. Any newspaper will tell me. The relief if it rained.
“Eh. What’s on yer mind.” Sayago’s voice bursts obscenely into my thoughts. “Or are you going to skimp now I’ve told you what you wanted to know?”
“Give him whatever he likes Nene. The last one,” I mutter through the grim cloud of my own drunken haze.
Sayago raises it enthusiastically to his lips, sipping the film that clings to the glass, his mouth a sucker filling the hole with its grey tongue meat. After hoovering up every last drop, he opens his mouth and his voice almost breaks:
“Probably reckon I been talking ’cause you stood me some fucking cañas eh? Been told you can have Carmen eating out of yer hand with a few shots? Eh?”
“Calm down Carmen,” intervenes Licho, who can obviously see it coming.
“Get yer fucking hands off me!” Sayago shakes an arm no one’s touched. “I may be called Carmen but I’m more of a man than the lot of you put together, this shitty city boy comes along and you’re all running around after him kissing his arse and saying sorry! Sorry for what? Can you tell me what the crap any of this is to you? You don’t fool me. I know why you’re here.”
I tense in my seat, while my eyes dart about looking for something I can cleave his head open with if necessary, but for now he’s content just to shout.
“Think you’re better than us don’t you Buenos Aires. But I’m a Sayago or didn’t you know? It was a Sayago as killed Musurana, the most famous bandit in the region! Now you come along asking questions but you know what? We’re the ones ask the questions here. I still got friends in the force. Think things have changed that much do you?”
I sit there and stare at him without answering, wondering how much longer I’m going to have to keep up a calm front. Meanwhile, Porfirio Dupuy, alerted by all the shouting, has emerged from his mysterious caverns and tells us if we’re going to have a fight to have one outside, Licho suddenly remembers something very important he should have done a year ago and disappears through a side door, and Iturraspe stands a little way back from the table in case the glass starts flying.
“You’re all the same,” spews the not-so-ex-policeman. “When there’s any trouble you run screaming to us, Police! Police! and then when we’ve risked our necks you spit on us. And if at some point we ice someone you raise the ceiling, but if it’s one of our own you don’t give a monkey’s, not a monkey’s! It’s what you’re paid for you say. What do you know? Ever had to hold a dying comrade, try to cheer him up and lie to him that everything’s going to be all right when you know he’s on his way out, and then go and face his folks, his wife?”
“Yes,” I hiss through my teeth, but my interlocutor’s so wired he doesn’t realise I’ve answered his purely rhetorical question.
“Nobody who hasn’t been through it in the flesh has the right to question us about anything,” Corporal Sayago lets fly openly now, and at the expense of several more cackles manages to raise and swell his original slurring whine.
“If you want another drink just ask,” I breathe without looking at him. “There’s no need to shout.”
“I’ll shout all I like me! And you’ll give me another glass whether you like it or not!” he gets up from his chair and grabs the table with both hands as if to flip it over, but it’s really to steady himself. “You’re in my town now and if I tell you to buy me another drink you’ll buy me another drink get it? What’s up with the rest of you? You going to let some shitty city boy walk all over us just ’cause he’s got some money in his pocket! Come on, we’ll show him, come on! Think we’re afraid of you do you Buenos Aires? Afraid of you lot? Know what we do with puffed-up city boys here?”