According to Herodotus, in preparing for their colonization of Cyrene, the Therans took a scout named Corobius to the island of Platea off the coast of Libya and left him to reconnoiter. When the Therans failed to return for him, he was aided by some Samian merchants, who then went on to have their own adventure.

They reached Platea and put Corobius ashore with enough supplies for a stated number of months, and then made sail again with all speed for home, to bring the news aout the island. They had agreed with Corobius to be away a definite length of time, this period, however, was exceeded and Corobius was in distress from lack of supplies, until a Samian vessel bound for Egypt, under the command of a man called Colacus, was forced by the weather to...