The odds would change back and forth all night and they fed the negro rum and lighted cigarettes for him

Then the negro, after the rum, would try for a tremendous effort (затем негр, после рома, предпринял огромное усилие; tremendous — огромный, гигантский, громадный) and once he had the old man (и вывел /руку/ старика), who was not an old man then but was Santiago El Campeon (который тогда не был стариком, а был Сантьяго-чемпион; el campeón — чемпион /исп./), nearly three inches off balance (почти на три дюйма из баланса). But the old man had raised his hand up to dead even again (но старик снова поднял свою руку до прежнего равного положения; dead — мертвый; замерший, неподвижный; even — ровный; равный; находящийся в состоянии равновесия). He was sure then that he had the negro, who was a fine man and a great athlete, beaten (он был тогда = после этого уверен, что он победит негра, который был хорошим человеком и большим атлетом = силачом). And at daylight when the bettors were asking that it be called a draw (и на рассвете, когда держащие пари люди стали просить, чтобы была объявлена ничья) and the referee was shaking his head (а судья качал головой), he had unleashed his effort and forced the hand of the negro down and down (он высвободил свою силу и стал пригибать руку негра все ниже и ниже; to unleash — спускать с привязи; высвобождать, давать волю; leash — поводок; цепь /на которой держат и водят животных/) until it rested on the wood (пока она не оказалась: «не покоилась» на дереве = столе). The match had started on a Sunday morning and ended on a Monday morning (поединок начался в воскресенье утром и закончился в понедельник утром). Many of the bettors had asked for a draw because they had to go to work (многие, кто ставил, просили о ничье, потому что им нужно было идти на работу) on the docks loading sacks of sugar (в порт, грузить мешки с сахаром) or at the Havana Coal Company (или в Гаванскую угольную компанию). Otherwise everyone would have wanted it to go to a finish (если бы не это, все бы хотели, чтобы он /матч/ дошел до завершения; otherwise — иначе, во всем остальном). But he had finished it anyway (но он закончил его, как бы то ни было) and before anyone had to go to work (перед тем, как всем нужно было идти на работу).

Then the negro, after the rum, would try for a tremendous effort and once he had the old man, who was not an old man then but was Santiago El Campeon, nearly three inches off balance. But the old man had raised his hand up to dead even again. He was sure then that he had the negro, who was a fine man and a great athlete, beaten. And at daylight when the bettors were asking that it be called a draw and the referee was shaking his head, he had unleashed his effort and forced the hand of the negro down and down until it rested on the wood. The match had started on a Sunday morning and ended on a Monday morning. Many of the bettors had asked for a draw because they had to go to work on the docks loading sacks of sugar or at the Havana Coal Company. Otherwise everyone would have wanted it to go to a finish. But he had finished it anyway and before anyone had to go to work.

For a long time after that everyone had called him The Champion (долгое время после этого все называли его чемпионом) and there had been a return match in the spring (и весной был матч-реванш). But not much money was bet and he had won it quite easily (но не много денег было поставлено, и он выиграл его довольно просто) since he had broken the confidence of the negro from Cienfuegos in the first match (потому что он сломил уверенность негра из Сьенфуэгоса в первом матче). After that he had a few matches and then no more (после этого у него было еще несколько соревнований, а потом больше не было). He decided that he could beat anyone if he wanted to badly enough (он решил, что он может победить кого угодно, если захочет этого достаточно сильно; badly — очень сильно) and he decided that it was bad for his right hand for fishing (и он решил, что это /соревнования/ плохо сказывается на правой руке, которая нужна для рыбалки). He had tried a few practice matches with his left hand (он пробовал несколько раз соревноваться левой рукой). But his left hand had always been a traitor (но его левая рука всегда была предательницей) and would not do what he called on it to do (и не делала того, что он ей говорил делать; to call on — призывать) and he did not trust it (и он не доверял ей).

The sun will bake it out well now (солнце припечет ее теперь хорошенько), he thought. It should not cramp on me again (ее не должно снова свести судорогой) unless it gets too cold in the night (только если ночью не станет слишком холодно). I wonder what this night will bring (интересно, что эта ночь принесет).

An airplane passed overhead on its course to Miami (самолет пролетел над головой своим курсом на Майами) and he watched its shadow scaring up the schools of flying fish (и он наблюдал, как тень от него вспугивает = поднимает косяки летучих рыб; to scare — отпугивать, распугивать).

For a long time after that everyone had called him The Champion and there had been a return match in the spring. But not much money was bet and he had won it quite easily since he had broken the confidence of the negro from Cienfuegos in the first match. After that he had a few matches and then no more. He decided that he could beat anyone if he wanted to badly enough and he decided that it was bad for his right hand for fishing. He had tried a few practice matches with his left hand. But his left hand had always been a traitor and would not do what he called on it to do and he did not trust it.