Sentence:  They <WSD>were</WSD> reluctant to appoint sheriffs to protect the property , thus running the risk of creating disturbances such as that on the Vermejo , and yet the cowboys protested that they got no salary for arresting cattle thieves and running the risk of being shot . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)