Characters of Ayrburn - Napoleon

William Paterson’s best friend was called Napoleon. They were the perfect companions and had all the same hobbies: taking long walks through the hills, watching the sunset in silent awe and listening to William’s stories as he poured himself a dram of whiskey by a roaring fire. Yes, Napoleon was a good listener. He was the strong silent type. Strong because he worked the fields and silent because he was… a horse.

The bond between Napoleon and William was so strong that friends and family often wondered why they were left playing second fiddle to a Clydesdale. Robert Murray (RM) once quipped that as one of eleven siblings, he expected to fight for his father’s attention. But that he didn’t expect to lose that fight to a twelfth adopted sibling that had four legs, a tail and lived in the stables.

William would explain that Napoleon was one of a kind. A caring and loyal animal and the only friend who wouldn’t attempt to silence him when he spontaneously broke out into song after one too many drinks. That he was part of a noble lineage and that John Paterson (a distant ancestor) had been first to breed the Clydesdale in his native Scotland. None of this seemed to move William’s nearest and dearest. “What about that time your best friend threw you into a ditch?” Bessie asked. William explained that the incident was purely a prank. That he had suffered a mere scratch. Or two. It was just good fun between good friends.

Napoleon came into William’s life when the young man was in his early thirties. They spent more than twenty-five happy years together. Although, it is said that later in life, Napoleon would start to whinny whenever William sang. Bessie joked that her husband’s warbling had even started to grate on his best friend. But William assured her that this was simply Napoleon’s way of joining in the refrain.