Plot

Joel Shore is made captain of the whaling schooner formerly headed by his courageous and admired brother, Mark, who was lost at sea. Accompanied by his bride, who suspects Joel to have a cowardly heart, they set sail for a whale hunt.

Joel Shore is made captain of the whaling schooner formerly headed by his courageous and admired brother, Mark, who was lost at sea. Accompanied by his bride, who suspects Joel to have a cowardly heart, they set sail for a whale hunt. Mark reappears, tells of hidden pearls, and incites the crew to mutiny when Joel refuses to take his ship off course to recover the treasure. Mark finally comes to Joel's aid but falls overboard; Joel unsuccessfully attempts to rescue him; Priscilla acknowledges her husband's heroism.—Anonymous

Mark Shore sets out aboard the "Nathan Ross," and says goodbye to his brother Joel and Joel's sweetheart Priscilla Holt. Joel is the last of a long line of able seamen of the House of Shore. Priscilla feels that Joel is not the man his brother is. Mark departs from the "Nathan Ross" in the Gilbert Islands, and disappears. Asa Worthen, owner of the ship, offers Joel the captain's position. Joel accepts, and marries Priscilla. Priscilla accompanies Joel on a voyage south, but soon grows bored. When the crew capture their first whale, the smell of boiling blubber sickens her. The ship reaches Cape Horn, and the crew puts in to the island of Tubuai for food and water. There, they are stunned when Mark appears. Mark tells Joel his tale. He had been drinking gin one night and had wandered away from the ship. He had met up with a group of islanders and had taken part in their festivities. He took up with a native girl. Before he knew it, the ship had sailed away without him. Then a party of pearl fishers had tried to steal his girl. Mark had climbed aboard their ship, killed a man, and remained on board. By the time the ship reached its destination, Mark had killed the other two men who were on board. Then he had buried what pearls were on the ship, and whatever pearls were found on a nearby island. Natives had attacked him, and his girl was killed attempting to save his life. He had taken the pearling schooner to Tubuai and learned that the "Nathan Ross" was in port. Now Mark wants Joel to help him get the pearls, but Joel refuses. Joel had promised Worthen he would never endanger his ship, and their business was whaling, not pearl fishing. Mark calls his brother a coward. News of the pearls soon spreads about the ship, and the crew begin to mutter. Mark makes a play for Priscilla, and she is amazed when Joel does nothing about it. Mark, along with the first and second mates, demand that Joel turn the ship around and go for the pearls. When Joel refuses, they lock him in his cabin. Eventually, there is a revolt on the ship. Joel punches Mark in the jaw. The crew members fight. Mark is reformed by his brother's show of courage, and goes to his side. During the battle, Mark falls overboard. Joel leaps into the water after him, but is unable to save his brother. Joel returns to the ship, where order has been restored. The report of Mark's death is entered in the ship's log, where Priscilla underlines the first word of the statement "All the Brothers were Valiant."