diff --git a/pkg/index/corpus.go b/pkg/index/corpus.go
index bfd0d13f6..7b6771905 100644
--- a/pkg/index/corpus.go
+++ b/pkg/index/corpus.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/schema"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/sorted"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/strutil"
+	"camlistore.org/pkg/syncutil"
 	"camlistore.org/pkg/types/camtypes"
 )
 
@@ -157,13 +158,17 @@ func (c *Corpus) scanFromStorage(s sorted.KeyValue) error {
 		"filetimes|",
 		"imagesize|",
 	}
+	var grp syncutil.Group
 	for i, prefix := range prefixes {
 		if logCorpusStats {
-			log.Printf("Slurping corpus to memory from index... (%d/%d: prefix %q)", i+2, len(prefixes)+1, prefix)
-		}
-		if err := c.scanPrefix(s, prefix); err != nil {
-			return err
+			log.Printf("Slurping corpus to memory from index... (%d/%d: prefix %q)", i+2, len(prefixes)+1,
+				prefix[:len(prefix)-1])
 		}
+		prefix := prefix
+		grp.Go(func() error { return c.scanPrefix(s, prefix) })
+	}
+	if err := grp.Err(); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// Post-load optimizations and restoration of invariants.
@@ -219,13 +224,25 @@ func (c *Corpus) scanPrefix(s sorted.KeyValue, prefix string) (err error) {
 		panic("No registered merge func for prefix " + prefix)
 	}
 
+	n, t0 := 0, time.Now()
 	it := queryPrefixString(s, prefix)
 	defer closeIterator(it, &err)
 	for it.Next() {
+		n++
+		if n == 1 {
+			// Let the query be sent off and responses start flowing in before
+			// we take the lock. And if no rows: no lock.
+			c.mu.Lock()
+			defer c.mu.Unlock()
+		}
 		if err := fn(c, it.KeyBytes(), it.ValueBytes()); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
+	if logCorpusStats {
+		d := time.Since(t0)
+		log.Printf("Scanned prefix %q: %d rows, %v", prefix[:len(prefix)-1], n, d)
+	}
 	return nil
 }