Summary on the story Journey By Night
Sher Singh, the son of the brave and famous Shikari Sher Singh Bahadur is faced with the task of taking his younger brother Kunwar to the city hospital because he is seriously ill. Kunwar had to be carried to the hospital in Kalaghat. As his father and the elders in the village were away Sher Singh decided to carry Kunwar to the hospital since the mother has to stay back to look after the farm and the cattle.
He carries Kunwar in a sling made by the mother from her sari. Sher Singh began the journey to Kalaghat in the evening. Kalaghat was at best fifty miles away, but a shortcut through the jungle and crossing the two rivers would allow Sher Singh to get a lift in a passing vehicle. While walking through the jungle, he has some misadventures; he escapes death by avoiding stepping on a cobra. He also saw a herd of elephants jostling through the forest but thankfully the herd left the brothers alone and went away. As he trod into the shallow river and reached the shore, he saw newly-made footprints of a tiger. However, he proceeded courageously and reached the second river by midnight.
The snow had melted, the river was full with a strong current and the Kutcha Bridge had submerged. Weaving some grass into a rope, Sher Singh tied it round his brother and himself to keep them together. And then he entered into the river and moved forward with great difficulty. He was careful to keep Kunwar’s head above water. Sher Singh found it an enormous struggle to carry the weight of his brother and move through the cold and strong current in the river. Eventually, he was able to cross the river, reach the road to Kalaghat, and get a lift in a bullock cart and a truck. He reached the Kalaghat hospital and admitted his ailing brother. After admitting his brother to the hospital, Sher Singh got some work in the rail yards and earned money to get a few things to cook a meal.
At the hospital, the doctor was amazed to find that a boy named Sher Singh had brought his little sick brother from Laidwani. The doctor called him ‘Sher Singh Bahadur’ and assured him that his brother would live.