I had not been sitting there long before my attention became attracted to a man in a punt (я не сидел там долго = вскоре мое внимание привлек человек в плоскодонке) who, I noticed with some surprise, wore a jacket and cap exactly like mine (который, /как/ я заметил с /некоторым/ удивлением, носил куртку и кепку, как у меня; to wear). He was evidently a novice at punting, and his performance was most interesting (он очевидно был новичком в плавании с шестом, и его действия были очень интересными; performance — исполнение, деятельность). You never knew what was going to happen when he put the pole in (нельзя было знать, что произойдет, когда он опустит шест; to put in — вставлять, всовывать); he evidently did not know himself (он, очевидно, и сам не знал). Sometimes he shot up stream and sometimes he shot down stream (иногда он устремлялся вверх по течению, а иногда вниз; to shoot up — вскочить, взлететь, взмыть), and at other times he simply spun round and came up the other side of the pole (а порой просто крутился на месте и объезжал вокруг шеста: «появлялся с другой стороны шеста»; to spin — прясть; крутиться, вертеться, выписывать круги). And with every result he seemed equally surprised and annoyed (и каждым результатом он, казалось, был одинаково удивлен и раздосадован).

evidently ['evdntl] performance [p'f:mns]

I could not get a punt out that afternoon, they were all engaged; so I had nothing else to do but to sit down on the bank, watching the river, and waiting for my friends.

I had not been sitting there long before my attention became attracted to a man in a punt who, I noticed with some surprise, wore a jacket and cap exactly like mine. He was evidently a novice at punting, and his performance was most interesting. You never knew what was going to happen when he put the pole in; he evidently did not know himself. Sometimes he shot up stream and sometimes he shot down stream, and at other times he simply spun round and came up the other side of the pole. And with every result he seemed equally surprised and annoyed.

The people about the river began to get quite absorbed in him after a while (люди у реки начали с немалым интересом наблюдать за ним через некоторое время; to absorb in — завладевать /вниманием и т. п./; поглощать, занимать /время, внимание/), and to make bets with one another as to what would be the outcome of his next push (и заключать пари друг с другом по поводу того, каким будет результат его следующего толчка; outcome — исход, итог, результат).