Then he embarked on a sampan full of sardine, sandwiches and sample of sapling.

然后他登上一条装满沙丁鱼，三明治和树苗的样品舢板。

They came to the bank and there, with a thread of light at the bow, a sampan was waiting for them.

他们来到岸边， 船头有一丝光亮， 一艘舢板正等着他们。

The passage was short and the river almost stagnant; they stood in a bunch at the bow, while a woman with a child tied on her hip with one oar impelled the sampan across.

通道很短，河流几乎停滞不前。他们成群结队地站在船头， 一个女人的臀部绑着一个孩子， 用一根桨推动着舢板过去。