What the horses are doing is they're rotating a central pivot and pulling the rope through.

马所做的就是旋转这根中轴，把绳子收紧。

He was pulling the rope for all he was worth.

【worth】他在拚命拉绳子。

Swinging on the string this way, with his long bathrobe trailing around his ankles, he looked like a little old friar pulling the bell rope in an abbey.

他穿着飘飘过膝的长浴衣在灯绳上摇摆的时候，看起来就像一个在大修道院里拉着钟绳的可爱的老修道士。