That canvas wanted more putting up than I think any of us had bargained for (тот брезент требовал больше вывешивания, чем, думаю, любой из нас ожидал = натягивание брезента оказалось не таким простым, как мы думали; to put up — поднимать; вывешивать; to bargain — заключить сделку; договориться; рассчитывать). It looked so simple in the abstract (это казалось так просто теоретически). You took five iron arches, like gigantic croquet hoops (вы берете пять железных дуг, похожих на огромные крокетные воротца), and fitted them up over the boat (устанавливаете их вдоль всей лодки), and then stretched the canvas over them, and fastened it down (потом натягиваете брезент поверх = на них и привязываете его): it would take quite ten minutes, we thought (это займет минут десять, думали мы).

That was an under-estimate (это было недооценкой).

We took up the hoops, and began to drop them into the sockets placed for them (мы взяли дуги и начали вставлять их в расположенные для них гнезда; socket — впадина, гнездо, углубление). You would not imagine this to be dangerous work (кто бы мог предположить: «вы бы не представили», что это опасная работа); but, looking back now, the wonder to me is that any of us are alive to tell the tale (но, вспоминая теперь, удивление для меня = я удивляюсь тому, что все мы живы и /можем/ рассказать эту историю). They were not hoops, they were demons (это были не дуги, это были дьяволы; demon — демон, дьявол, сатана). First they would not fit into their sockets at all (сначала они не вставлялись в гнезда вообще), and we had to jump on them, and kick them (и нам пришлось прыгать по ним, бить их ногами), and hammer at them with the boat-hook (и стучать по ним багром); and, when they were in, it turned out (и, когда они вставились, я обнаружил) that they were the wrong hoops for those particular sockets, and they had to come out again (что они не те дуги для конкретных гнезд = вставлены не туда, и их пришлось вытащить снова; particular — особый; отдельный, одиночный, частный).

croquet ['kruke] demon ['di:mn]

That canvas wanted more putting up than I think any of us had bargained for. It looked so simple in the abstract. You took five iron arches, like gigantic croquet hoops, and fitted them up over the boat, and then stretched the canvas over them, and fastened it down: it would take quite ten minutes, we thought.

That was an under-estimate.

We took up the hoops, and began to drop them into the sockets placed for them. You would not imagine this to be dangerous work; but, looking back now, the wonder to me is that any of us are alive to tell the tale. They were not hoops, they were demons. First they would not fit into their sockets at all, and we had to jump on them, and kick them, and hammer at them with the boat-hook; and, when they were in, it turned out that they were the wrong hoops for those particular sockets, and they had to come out again.