I pulled splendidly (я греб великолепно). I got well into a steady rhythmical swing (я выработал постоянный ритмичный взмах /веслами/; to get into — войти; приобретать, появляться /о привычках/; попадать в какое-либо положение, состояние; swing — качание, колебание, взмах). I put my arms, and my legs, and my back into it (я действовал руками, ногами и спиной; to put in — вкладывать, вводить /в действие/). I set myself a good, quick, dashing stroke, and worked in really grand style (я греб хорошо, быстро, энергично, и работал в великолепном стиле). My two friends said it was a pleasure to watch me (двое моих приятелей сказали, что наблюдать за мной — /одно/ удовольствие). At the end of five minutes, I thought we ought to be pretty near the weir, and I looked up (через пять минут: «в конце пяти минут» я подумал, что мы должны быть довольно близко от запруды, и поднял глаза). We were under the bridge, in exactly the same spot that we were when I began (мы были под мостом, на том же самом месте, где мы находились, когда я начал), and there were those two idiots, injuring themselves by violent laughing (а те два идиота вредили себе неистовым смехом = смеялись до колик; to injure — ранить, ушибить; вредить). I had been grinding away like mad to keep that boat stuck still under that bridge (я греб, как сумасшедший, чтобы удержать лодку на месте, под тем мостом; to grind away — усердно работать; to keep still — не шевелиться; не шуметь; to stick — приклеивать/ся/, завязнуть). I let other people pull up backwaters against strong streams now (я оставил другим людям = пусть теперь другие /попробуют/ пойти на веслах по бьефам/каналам против сильного течения).

weir [w] rhythmical ['rdmkl] injuring ['nr]

I tried to do so once. I was sculling, and asked the fellows who were steering if they thought it could be done, and they said, oh, yes, they thought so, if I pulled hard. We were just under the little foot-bridge that crosses it between the two weirs, when they said this, and I bent down over the sculls, and set myself up, and pulled.

I pulled splendidly. I got well into a steady rhythmical swing. I put my arms, and my legs, and my back into it. I set myself a good, quick, dashing stroke, and worked in really grand style. My two friends said it was a pleasure to watch me. At the end of five minutes, I thought we ought to be pretty near the weir, and I looked up. We were under the bridge, in exactly the same spot that we were when I began, and there were those two idiots, injuring themselves by violent laughing. I had been grinding away like mad to keep that boat stuck still under that bridge. I let other people pull up backwaters against strong streams now.