By Force of Arms Author:James Nelson As the war for independence begins in earnest, seagoing American merchants prepare to strike the first blows. None struck more deftly than Isaac Biddlecomb, captain of the Judea, whose smuggling activities were making a mockery of His Majesty?s Royal Navy. Pursued by the HMS Rose, he sacrificed the ship he loved to the depths, together with the ... more »fortune he stood to gain, rather than surrender. He is reunited with Ezra Rumstick, a comrade and fierce rebel, as the revolution gathers momentum. On a brig bound for Jamaica, and now serving as a lowly mate, fate tests Isaac?s mettle as he is captured by the enemy and faces a life of servitude under the mad captain and sadistic crew of the H.M.S. Icarus.« less