The fish moved steadily and they travelled slowly on the calm water. The other baits were still in the water but there was nothing to be done

"I wish I had the boy" the old man said aloud. "I'm being towed by a fish and I'm the towing bitt. I could make the line fast. But then he could break it. I must hold him all I can and give him line when he must have it. Thank God he is travelling and not going down."

What I will do if he decides to go down, I don't know. What I'll do if he sounds and dies I don't know. But I'll do something. There are plenty of things I can do.

He held the line against his back (он держал лесу на спине) and watched its slant in the water (и следил за ее наклоном = под каким наклоном она уходит в воду; slant — наклон) and the skiff moving steadily to the north-west (и как лодка равномерно движется на северо-запад).

This will kill him (это убьет ее), the old man thought. He can't do this forever (она не может делать это вечно). But four hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea (но четырьмя часами позже рыба по-прежнему монотонно плыла в море), towing the skiff (таща лодку), and the old man was still braced solidly with the line across his back (а старик все еще был связан крепко лесой поперек спины; to brace — охватывать, опоясывать; связывать, скреплять).

"It was noon when I hooked him (был полдень, когда я ее зацепил на крючок)," he said. "And I have never seen him (и я ее ни разу не видел)."

He had pushed his straw hat hard down on his head before he hooked the fish (он натянул свою соломенную шляпу сильно вниз на свою голову = сильно натянул шляпу на лоб, перед тем, как он зацепил рыбу) and it was cutting his forehead (и она резала ему лоб = кожу на лбу). He was thirsty too (его также мучила жажда) and he got down on his knees (и он опустился на колени) and, being careful not to jerk on the line (и осторожно: «будучи осторожным», пытаясь не дернуть резко лесу; to jerk — резко дергать), moved as far into the bow as he could get (двинулся как можно дальше к носу лодки, насколько мог) and reached the water bottle with one hand (и дотянулся до бутылки с водой одной рукой). He opened it and drank a little (он открыл ее и отпил немного). Then he rested against the bow (затем он отдохнул, привалившись к носу; to rest — отдыхать; покоиться). He rested sitting on the unstepped mast and sail (он отдыхал, сидя на отсоединенной мачте с парусом; to unstep — мор. убирать мачту из ее гнезда) and tried not to think but only to endure (и старался не думать, а только терпеть; to endure — вытерпеть, выдержать; терпеть, сносить).