Jack Harrington had anticipated this crush and waited by his sled until it untangled (Джек Харрингтон предвидел эту давку и ждал у своих нарт, пока она распутается). Louis Savoy, aware of his rival's greater wisdom in the matter of dog-driving (Луи Савой, осведомленный о большей мудрости своего соперника в деле езды на собаках = управления собаками), had followed his lead and also waited (последовал его примеру и тоже ждал). The rout had passed beyond ear-shot when they took the trail (скопление прекратилось/закончилось вне слышимости, когда они пустились в путь;
beyond [bI'jOnd], anticipate [xn'tIsIpeIt], rout [raut]
Jack Harrington had anticipated this crush and waited by his sled until it untangled. Louis Savoy, aware of his rival's greater wisdom in the matter of dog-driving, had followed his lead and also waited. The rout had passed beyond ear-shot when they took the trail, and it was not till they had travelled the ten miles or so down to Bonanza that they came upon it, speeding along in single file, but well bunched. There was little noise, and less chance of one passing another at that stage.
The sleds, from runner to runner, measured sixteen inches (нарты, от полоза до полоза, имели размер шестнадцать дюймов), the trail eighteen (тропа — восемнадцать); but the trail, packed down fully a foot by the traffic (но эта тропа, утрамбованная основательно на фут движением/транспортом), was like a gutter (была подобна желобу). On either side spread the blanket of soft snow crystals (по обеим сторонам расстилался покров мягких снежных кристаллов). If a man turned into this in an endeavor to pass (если бы /какой-то/ человек повернул на него в попытке обогнать), his dogs would wallow perforce to their bellies and slow down to a snail's pace (его собаки стали бы барахтаться неминуемо по брюхо и поплелись бы со скоростью улитки: «снизили бы скорость до хода улитки»). So the men lay close to their leaping sleds and waited (поэтому люди легли на свои подскакивающие сани и ждали;
endeavor [In'devq], wallow ['wOlqu], necessary ['nesqs(q)rI]
The sleds, from runner to runner, measured sixteen inches, the trail eighteen; but the trail, packed down fully a foot by the traffic, was like a gutter. On either side spread the blanket of soft snow crystals. If a man turned into this in an endeavor to pass, his dogs would wallow perforce to their bellies and slow down to a snail's pace. So the men lay close to their leaping sleds and waited. No alteration in position occurred down the fifteen miles of Bonanza and Klondike to Dawson, where the Yukon was encountered. Here the first relays waited. But here, intent to kill their first teams, if necessary, Harrington and Savoy had had their fresh teams placed a couple of miles beyond those of the others. In the confusion of changing sleds they passed full half the bunch.