If he be of a stout and short-winded build, you can easily avoid his advances; but, when he is of the youthful and long-legged type, a meeting is inevitable. The interview is, however, extremely brief, most of the conversation being on his part, your remarks being mostly of an exclamatory and monosyllabic order, and as soon as you can tear yourself away you do so.

I devoted some three months to rafting, and, being then as proficient as there was any need to be at that branch of the art, I determined to go in for rowing proper, and joined one of the Lea boating clubs.

Being out in a boat on the river Lea, especially on Saturday afternoons (плавание на лодке по реке Ли, особенно в субботу после обеда), soon makes you smart at handling a craft (быстро делает вас ловким в обращении с судном; soon — скоро, быстро, в ближайшее время; smart — сильный, интенсивный; живой, быстрый; толковый, сообразительный; ловкий), and spry at escaping being run down by roughs or swamped by barges (и проворным в избежании = учит быстро уклоняться от столкновения с грубиянами и затопления /волной от/ барж; rough — неровность /местности/; буян, грубиян, хулиган; to swamp — заливать, затоплять); and it also affords plenty of opportunity for acquiring the most prompt and graceful method of lying down flat at the bottom of the boat (и это также предоставляет массу возможностей научиться быстрому и изящному способу растягиваться на дне лодке; to lie down — ложиться; flat — плоский, растянувшийся во всю длину /обычно о человеке/) so as to avoid being chucked out into the river by passing tow-lines (чтобы не быть выкинутым в реку /чьей-нибудь/ случайной бечевой).

But it does not give you style (но это не дает вам стиля = у вас не выработается стиль /гребли/). It was not till I came to the Thames that I got style (только после того, как я приступил к /плаванию/ по Темзе, я приобрел стиль). My style of rowing is very much admired now (моей манерой гребли теперь весьма восхищаются). People say it is so quaint (говорят, она столь необычна).

rough [rf] opportunity [,p'tju:nt]

Being out in a boat on the river Lea, especially on Saturday afternoons, soon makes you smart at handling a craft, and spry at escaping being run down by roughs or swamped by barges; and it also affords plenty of opportunity for acquiring the most prompt and graceful method of lying down flat at the bottom of the boat so as to avoid being chucked out into the river by passing tow-lines.

But it does not give you style. It was not till I came to the Thames that I got style. My style of rowing is very much admired now. People say it is so quaint.