diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 6f72b2a..846e292 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ fi
 
 dnl Items we can use if present, but can do without if not present.
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([getopt_long])
-AC_CHECK_FUNCS([vsnprintf strlcat strtoul])
+AC_CHECK_FUNCS([vsnprintf strlcat strtoul memrchr])
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([fdatasync])
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([fpathconf sysconf posix_memalign posix_fadvise])
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([nanosleep])
diff --git a/src/include/config.h.in b/src/include/config.h.in
index 92b0804..f55b9fb 100644
--- a/src/include/config.h.in
+++ b/src/include/config.h.in
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `memmove' function. */
 #undef HAVE_MEMMOVE
 
+/* Define to 1 if you have the `memrchr' function. */
+#undef HAVE_MEMRCHR
+
 /* Define to 1 if you have the `memset' function. */
 #undef HAVE_MEMSET
 
diff --git a/src/include/pv.h b/src/include/pv.h
index 6063ddf..a2c9132 100644
--- a/src/include/pv.h
+++ b/src/include/pv.h
@@ -88,6 +88,12 @@ extern size_t pv_strlcat(char *, const char *, size_t);
  */
 /*@null@ */ /*@only@ */ extern char *pv_strdup(const char *);
 
+/*
+ * Return a pointer to the last matching character in the buffer, or NULL if
+ * not found.
+ */
+/*@null@ */ /*@temp@ */ extern void *pv_memrchr(const void *, int, size_t);
+
 /*
  * Functions relating to elapsed time.
  */
diff --git a/src/pv/string.c b/src/pv/string.c
index a9d8eb1..2b511c2 100644
--- a/src/pv/string.c
+++ b/src/pv/string.c
@@ -151,4 +151,33 @@ char *pv_strdup(const char *original)
 	return duplicate;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Return a pointer to the last matching character in the buffer, or NULL if
+ * not found.
+ */
+/*@null@ */
+/*@temp@ */
+void *pv_memrchr(const void *buffer, int match, size_t length)
+{
+#ifdef HAVE_MEMRCHR
+	/*@-unrecog @*/ /* splint doesn't know of memrchr() */
+	return memrchr(buffer, match, length);
+	/*@+unrecog @*/
+#else
+	unsigned char *ptr;
+
+	if (length < 1)
+		return NULL;
+
+	ptr = ((unsigned char *) buffer) + length - 1;
+	while (ptr >= (unsigned char *) buffer) {
+		if ((int) (ptr[0]) == match)
+			return (void *) ptr;
+		ptr--;
+	}
+
+	return NULL;
+#endif
+}
+
 /* EOF */
diff --git a/src/pv/transfer.c b/src/pv/transfer.c
index 6c2861e..033e4ff 100644
--- a/src/pv/transfer.c
+++ b/src/pv/transfer.c
@@ -655,32 +655,24 @@ static int pv__transfer_write(pvstate_t state, bool *eof_in, bool *eof_out, long
 		 * Write returned >0 - data successfully written.
 		 */
 		if ((state->linemode) && (lineswritten != NULL)) {
-			/*
-			 * Guillaume Marcais: use strchr to count \n
-			 */
-			char save;
+			char separator;
 			char *ptr;
 			long lines = 0;
 
-			save = state->transfer_buffer[state->write_position + nwritten];
-			state->transfer_buffer[state->write_position + nwritten] = '\0';
-			ptr = (char *) (state->transfer_buffer + state->write_position - 1);
-
 			if (state->null_terminated_lines) {
-				for (ptr++;
-				     ptr -
-				     (char *) state->transfer_buffer -
-				     state->write_position < (size_t) nwritten; ptr++) {
-					if (*ptr == '\0')
-						++lines;
-				}
+				separator = '\0';
 			} else {
-				while ((ptr = strchr((char *) (ptr + 1), '\n')))
+				separator = '\n';
+			}
+
+			ptr = (char *) (state->transfer_buffer + state->write_position - 1);
+			for (ptr++;
+			     ptr - (char *) state->transfer_buffer - state->write_position < (size_t) nwritten; ptr++) {
+				if (*ptr == separator)
 					++lines;
 			}
 
 			*lineswritten += lines;
-			state->transfer_buffer[state->write_position + nwritten] = save;
 		}
 
 		state->write_position += nwritten;
@@ -1010,22 +1002,14 @@ ssize_t pv_transfer(pvstate_t state, int fd, bool *eof_in, bool *eof_out, off_t
 	 * so that we're writing output line-by-line.
 	 */
 	if ((state->to_write > 0) && (state->linemode) && !(state->null_terminated_lines)) {
-		/*
-		 * Guillaume Marcais: use strrchr to find last \n
-		 */
-		char save;
 		char *start;
 		char *end;
 
-		save = state->transfer_buffer[state->write_position + state->to_write];
-		state->transfer_buffer[state->write_position + state->to_write] = '\0';
-
 		start = (char *) (state->transfer_buffer + state->write_position);
-		end = strrchr(start, '\n');
-		state->transfer_buffer[state->write_position + state->to_write] = save;
+		end = pv_memrchr(start, (int) '\n', (size_t) (state->to_write));
 
-		if (end != NULL) {
-			state->to_write = (end - start) + 1;
+		if (NULL != end) {
+			state->to_write = (ssize_t) ((end - start) + 1);
 		}
 	}