That is my opinion of tow-lines in general (таково мое мнение о бечеве вообще). Of course, there may be honourable exceptions (конечно, могут быть почтенные исключения); I do not say that there are not (я не говорю, что их нет). There may be tow-lines that are a credit to their profession (могут быть буксирные канаты, которые делают честь своей профессии) — conscientious, respectable tow-lines (добросовестные, достойные уважения канаты) — tow-lines that do not imagine they are crochet-work (которые не воображают, что они вязальные нитки; crochet — вязание крючком), and try to knit themselves up into antimacassars the instant they are left to themselves (и не пытаются превратиться в салфеточки в /тот же/ момент, как их предоставят самим себе; to knit up — связывать, соединять). I say there may be such tow-lines (говорю же, могут быть подобные канаты); I sincerely hope there are (я искренне надеюсь, что они есть). But I have not met with them (но я с ними не встречался; to meet — встречать).

disentangle ['dsn'tael] honourable ['nrbl] crochet ['krue]

I do not wish to be insulting, but I firmly believe that if you took an average tow-line, and stretched it out straight across the middle of a field, and then turned your back on it for thirty seconds, that, when you looked round again, you would find that it had got itself altogether in a heap in the middle of the field, and had twisted itself up, and tied itself into knots, and lost its two ends, and become all loops; and it would take you a good half-hour, sitting down there on the grass and swearing all the while, to disentangle it again.

That is my opinion of tow-lines in general. Of course, there may be honourable exceptions; I do not say that there are not. There may be tow-lines that are a credit to their profession — conscientious, respectable tow-lines — tow-lines that do not imagine they are crochet-work, and try to knit themselves up into antimacassars the instant they are left to themselves. I say there may be such tow-lines; I sincerely hope there are. But I have not met with them.

This tow-line I had taken in myself just before we had got to the lock (этой бечевой я занялся сам, непосредственно перед тем, как мы добрались до шлюза). I would not let Harris touch it, because he is careless (я бы не позволил Гаррису прикасаться к ней, потому что он небрежен/невнимателен). I had looped it round slowly and cautiously (я смотал ее медленно и осторожно; to loop — делать петлю), and tied it up in the middle, and folded it in two (и перевязал посередине, и сложил вдвое), and laid it down gently at the bottom of the boat (и тихонько/осторожно положил на дно лодки). Harris had lifted it up scientifically, and had put it into George's hand (Гаррис поднял ее по всем правилам: «научно» и вложил в руку Джорджа). George had taken it firmly, and held it away from him (Джордж взял ее крепко, вытянул руку; to hold — держать; to hold away from — отдалять), and had begun to unravel it as if he were taking the swaddling clothes off a new-born infant (и начал распутывать ее, словно он снимал пеленки с новорожденного младенца = распеленывал новорожденного младенца); and, before he had unwound a dozen yards (и прежде, чем он размотал дюжину ярдов; to unwind; yard — ярд /91 см/), the thing was more like a badly-made door-mat than anything else (бечева была больше похожа на плохо сделанный коврик для ног, чем на что-либо еще).