Al-Mustapha, Go Tell the Marines!

In 1806, an anonymous book of naval fiction was published in London with the long title "The Post Captain; or The Wooden Walls Well Manned: Comprehending a View of Naval Society and Manners". In the fictional work, Captain Brilliant, of HMS Desdemona, was a good listener only up to a point - when your story began to sound incredible he would stop you in your tracks with the riposte: "You may tell that to the Marines, but I'll be damned if the Sailors will believe it!"