This is Chapter 14 of The Universal Good Deal, you may want to start at the beginning or go back to Chapter 13.

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The book was also responsible for the entrance into Flinders life of that other great talisman of bad luck: Trim the cat.

A description of this animal will not be misplaced here. From the care that was taken of him, and the force of his own constitution, Trim grew to be what Flinders said was one of the finest animals he ever saw. Trim's tail was long, large, and bushy, and could bristle out to a fearful size. Trim's head was small and round, his whiskers were long and graceful, and his ears were cropped in a beautiful curve. Trim was a clear jet black, with the exception of his four feet, which seemed to have been dipped in snow, and his underlip, which rivaled them in whiteness. He had also a white star on his breast. Flinders called him the prince and model of his race.¹

Here is the story of how Flinders found this infamous cat, Trim. One dark and stormy night, Flinders went out for a walk (he enjoyed bad weather). An entirely black cat dashed from the bushes beside the sidewalk and crossed his path and disappeared into the darkness. As I have said, Flinders had a strong propensity to look into such strange fatalities which crossed his way.² He stopped and peered after the animal. It immediately returned and once more crossed in front of him. But instead of vanishing again, the animal turned and passed before Flinders for a third time. And then again. The cat crossed his path with such doggedness that Flinders squinted up at the rainy sky, expecting his bad luck was so guaranteed that something heavy might fall upon his head.³

Then the cat was struck by lightning, and thrown almost to Flinders feet. Now, Flinders recalled some lines from Crusoe about being troubled by a great multitude of cats.⁴ Here was a start, thought Flinders. Upon touching him, the cat immediately arose, purred loudly, rubbed against his hand, and appeared delighted with his notice.⁵ Indeed, it seemed as though the cat was entirely unscathed by the lightning, except that its feet were turned white—Flinders felt certain that they had not been so when he first spotted the animal. He brought the cat home with him and called him Trim.

That night, Flinders was roused from his sleep by a fire alarm. The curtains on his wall were already in flames, and the whole building was soon blazing.⁶ He barely made it out, and it was only when he was outside, clutching Crusoe, that he realized he had forgotten the cat. Trim, however, had not forgotten him, and Flinders soon the cat brushing up against his legs. If there had been any doubt in his mind as to whether he would keep the cat, it was dispelled that night.

There are many stories told about Trim. Some say the cat was a demon or fantastic monster of some sort, citing the role the cat played in the catastrophe of the Investigator expedition; others say that Flinders had a fetish for the animal's hindquarters, and that he regularly kissed it.⁷ Trim really was a splendid pet, and it was the joy of Trim's heart to supply Flinders with whatever bad luck his fancy called for.⁸

Chapter 15 tomorrow, same time, same place.

A description of his person will not be misplaced here. From the care that was taken of him, and the force of his own constitution, Trim grew to be one of the finest animals I ever saw. His size emulated that of his friends of Angora: his weight being from ten to twelve pounds, according as our fresh-meatometer stood high or low. His tail was long, large, and bushy; and when he was animated by the presence of a stranger of the anti-catean race, it bristled out to a fearful size, whilst vivid flashes darted from his fiery eyes, though at other times he was candour and good nature itself. His head was small and round--his physiognomy bespoke intelligence and confidence--his whiskers were long and graceful, and his ears were cropped in a beautiful curve. Trim's robe was a clear jet black, with the exception of his four feet, which seemed to have been dipped in snow, and his underlip, which rivaled them in whiteness. He had also a white star on his breast, and it seemed as if nature had designed him for the prince and model of his race: I doubt whether Whittington's cat, of which so much has been said and written, was to be compared to him. Matthew Flinders, A Biographical Tribute to the Memory of Trim 1814 ↩
I have ever a strong propensity, said my father, to look into things which cross my way, by such strange fatalities as these. Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman 1759 ↩
Black Cat/Bad Luck Company/Paths crossed/Guaranteed bad luck. Tex Avery, "Bad Luck Blackie" 1949 ↩
But from these three cats I afterwards came to be so pestered with cats that I was forced to kill them like vermin or wild beasts, and to drive them from my house as much as possible. Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe 1719 ↩
Upon my touching him, he immediately arose, purred loudly, rubbed against my hand, and appeared delighted with my notice. Edgar Allen Poe, "The Black Cat" 1843 ↩
On the night of the day on which this cruel deed was done, I was aroused from sleep by the cry of fire. The curtains of my bed were in flames. The whole house was blazing. Edgar Allen Poe, "The Black Cat" 1843 ↩
At the table, after the banquet is complete, a black cat appears and walks backwards with its tail erect, and the novice first, and then all the masters, kiss the animal on its hindquarters. Pope Gregory IX, Vox in Rama 1233 ↩
It was the joy of Trim's heart,--nor was his fertile head ever at a loss for expedients in doing it, to supply my uncle Toby in his campaigns, with whatever his fancy called for. Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman 1759 ↩

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Footnotes