By successfully working as a slave servant to the Bey of Constantine, he eventually obtained his freedom from captivity.

In 1724, on a voyage from Nantes to Hamburg, Olufs’ ship was seized by Algerian pirates and he and his two cousins were taken hostage.

Olufs' family could not afford the high price demanded in ransom by the Barbary slave traders for his release.

Because the ship had been sailing under Hamburg colours, the family's request for a loan from the slavery fund of the Danish Kingdom was rejected.

In 1735, he took part in the conquest of Tunis by the Algerian army during the disposal of Al-Husayn I ibn Ali.