Over the reef...

Question

He was pursued by the Coast Guard. Says he was very
cool,(Calm?) very smart, very careful not to dump In this context accidentally drop?
the merchandise in deep water, but waited till
they were over the reef (passed the reef?) and took great pains (made big effort?) to
make sure the cargo (Merchandise or ship?) was not seen.

Delmobile · Accepted Answer

"cool" - not so much calm as keeping his wits about him. When someone gets angry or excited they are said to be "hot" (if you think about it, you actually feel warmer when experiencing those emotions) and are apt to act carelessly or abruptly and make mistakes. "Calm, cool, and collected" is a popular collocation.

"dump" - in this bit of context it sounds to me like they're just using dump as a synonym for drop - the individual is not being careful not to accidentally drop it, but being careful to find the right water depth before he deliberately drops it.

"Over the reef" - ordinarily I'd think this meant past the reef, but with the previous clause about being careful not to dump whatever it is in deep water, perhaps he waited until he was literally over (on top of) the reef, where I presume the water is shallow, before dumping it? (Is there a reason why he would do this?)

Cargo is what's carried on a ship.

Madhulk · Answer

And what about took great pains?
BTW are you sure about the over the reef? I mean in
the beginnig it's said they persued him. And later they were over.

Delmobile · Answer

He was pursued by the Coast Guard. Says he was very
cool,(Calm?) very smart, very careful not to dump In this context accidentally drop?
the merchandise in deep water, but waited till
they were over the reef (passed the reef?) and took great pains (made big effort?) to
make sure the cargo (Merchandise or ship?) was not seen.

Sorry, I missed "great pains." Yes, made a big effort.

You're right, the antecedent of "they" is unclear here. I assumed "they" was "his" ship, but if "they" is the pursuers then I don't know. Can you tell from context how the reef figures into anything? I still claim that in ordinary usage, if I say "I'm over the reef" I mean I'm on top of it in my boat, not "I've just gone past the reef," but it's not completely out of the question that it might mean the latter, especially if the reef is seen as some sort of hurdle to be passed.

Madhulk · Answer

Okay. Thanks for the elaboration, D! Really appreciate it.

Over the reef...

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