In 1710 Pierre Labuscaigne entered into the service of the Dutch East India Company as 'Tamboerine" aboard the ship "Verbergh", and embarked for the orient. This was during the War of Spanish Succession, which made it a very perilous time to travel. During the voyage, two of the fleet of eight VOC ships were attacked by corsairs and lost. With the convoy scattered and in apparent disarray, Pierre Labuscaigne's ship, the "Verbergh", was the last of the convoy to reach the Cape of Good Hope. Here Pierre was left behind, as he proved to be too sick to continue the voyage.