diff --git a/m/pager.go b/m/pager.go
index 5c28861..6681845 100644
--- a/m/pager.go
+++ b/m/pager.go
@@ -216,9 +216,13 @@ func (p *Pager) scrollToSearchHits() {
 
 func (p *Pager) findFirstHit(startPosition scrollPosition, backwards bool) *scrollPosition {
 	// FIXME: We should take startPosition.deltaScreenLines into account as well!
-	searchPosition := startPosition
+
+	// NOTE: When we search, we do that by looping over the *input lines*, not
+	// the screen lines. That's why we're using an int rather than a
+	// scrollPosition for searching.
+	searchPosition := startPosition.lineNumberOneBased(p)
 	for {
-		line := p.reader.GetLine(searchPosition.lineNumberOneBased(p))
+		line := p.reader.GetLine(searchPosition)
 		if line == nil {
 			// No match, give up
 			return nil
@@ -226,13 +230,13 @@ func (p *Pager) findFirstHit(startPosition scrollPosition, backwards bool) *scro
 
 		lineText := line.Plain()
 		if p.searchPattern.MatchString(lineText) {
-			return scrollPositionFromLineNumber("findFirstHit", searchPosition.lineNumberOneBased(p))
+			return scrollPositionFromLineNumber("findFirstHit", searchPosition)
 		}
 
 		if backwards {
-			searchPosition.PreviousLine(1)
+			searchPosition -= 1
 		} else {
-			searchPosition.NextLine(1)
+			searchPosition += 1
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/m/pager_test.go b/m/pager_test.go
index 1d382d4..9359b98 100644
--- a/m/pager_test.go
+++ b/m/pager_test.go
@@ -269,6 +269,20 @@ func TestFindFirstHitAnsi(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, hit.internalDontTouch.deltaScreenLines, 0)
 }
 
+func TestFindFirstHitNoMatch(t *testing.T) {
+	reader := NewReaderFromStream("TestFindFirstHitSimple", strings.NewReader("AB"))
+	pager := NewPager(reader)
+	pager.screen = twin.NewFakeScreen(40, 10)
+
+	// Wait for reader to finish reading
+	<-reader.done
+
+	pager.searchPattern = toPattern("this pattern should not be found")
+
+	hit := pager.findFirstHit(newScrollPosition("TestFindFirstHitSimple"), false)
+	assert.Assert(t, hit == nil)
+}
+
 // Converts a cell row to a plain string and removes trailing whitespace.
 func rowToString(row []twin.Cell) string {
 	rowString := ""