 Admitting the horrible suffering of slaves, he notes that many Africans benefited directly because the first stage of the trade was always firmly in the hands of Africans.European slave ships waited at ports to purchase cargoes of people who were captured in the hinterland by African dealers and tribal leaders.Richardson finds that the "terms of trade" (how much the ship owners paid for the slave cargo) moved heavily in favor of the Africans after about 1750.