this initial claim was supplemented by further claims totalling 45,000 pounds. cakobau was faced with a dilemma. to disclaim responsibility for the debt, he would have to deny his self-proclaimed and still far-from-universally accepted sovereignty. to admit responsibility, he would have to undertake to pay the debt, or else face punishment from the united states navy. he chose the latter course, hoping that the united states was only bluffing.