This was, however, not exclusive to the Anglo slave traders and their crew. Traders could not have been successful without the formation of a relationship with the Africans who provided them with other Africans to enslave. African captors kidnapped their countrymen and brought them to slave factories on the west coast of Africa. Similar cultural betrayal is paralleled in Middle Passage when the crew of The Republic arrived at the trading post in Bangalang. The owner of the Royal African Company was the half-breed son of a brutal slave trader and an African princess (44). Rutherford Calhoun also took on this role at certain times in the novel. Calhoun was fairly neutral in his efforts and did not side exclusively with the whites or the blacks, but he did commit a form of betrayal by assisting the crew of the Republic in their trade.
This kidnapping by fellow countrymen was just as brutal as the long journeys at sea. The trip from the interior of Africa to the coast was long and it is estimated that of 20 million slaves, half did not make it. In return for providing human cargo to the slavers, African kidnappers received guns, textiles, iron bars, and other products. These journeys are only slightly covered in the novel. When the Allmuseri arrived at the coast from their journey Cringle commented, "Poor Bastards, their villages were destroyed by famine. " "Ahman-de-Bellah took them without a fight, (62). " The specifics of the Allmuseri's trip from the interior are not necessary for the fictional story in Middle Passage, however these stories of betrayal, and domination from history help support Johnson's political commentary, and these themes would carry over once out at sea.
One of the main recurring themes in Middle Passage is the harsh and revolting condition of the Republic. The historical ships of the Atlantic slave trade were no different. Many of the ships were termed 'loose packers' or 'tight packers', describing the maximum capacity of the slave ship.