diff --git a/scsh/re.scm b/scsh/re.scm
index e4004f7..7411799 100644
--- a/scsh/re.scm
+++ b/scsh/re.scm
@@ -69,8 +69,7 @@
 (define (%regexp-match regexp string start start-vec end-vec)
   (receive (err match?) (%regexp-match/errno regexp string start
 					     start-vec end-vec)
-    (if (not (equal? err "")) (error err %regexp-match)
-	match?)))
+    (if err (error err %regexp-match regexp string start) match?)))
 
 
 ;;; I do this one in C, I'm not sure why:
diff --git a/scsh/re1.c b/scsh/re1.c
index e640260..fd7a7eb 100644
--- a/scsh/re1.c
+++ b/scsh/re1.c
@@ -27,9 +27,11 @@ void regerror(char *msg) {regexp_error = msg;}
 char *reg_match(const char *re, const char *string, int start,
 		scheme_value start_vec, scheme_value end_vec,  int *hit)
 {
-    regexp *prog = regcomp(re);
+    regexp *prog;
 
+    regexp_error = 0;
     *hit = 0;
+    prog = regcomp(re);
     if( !prog ) return regexp_error;
 
     if( VECTOR_LENGTH(start_vec) != NSUBEXP ) {
@@ -42,7 +44,6 @@ char *reg_match(const char *re, const char *string, int start,
 	return "Illegal end vector";
 	}
 
-    regexp_error = "";
     if( regexec(prog, string+start) ) {
 	int i;
 	for(i=0; i<NSUBEXP; i++) {
@@ -59,18 +60,20 @@ char *reg_match(const char *re, const char *string, int start,
 
 char *filter_stringvec(const char *re, char const **stringvec,  int *nummatch)
 {
-    regexp *prog = regcomp(re);
-    char const **p = stringvec;
-    char const **q = p;
-    
-    if( !prog ) return regexp_error;
+    regexp *prog;
+    regexp_error = 0;
 
-    while(*p) {
-	if( regexec(prog, *p) ) *q++ = *p;
-	p++;
+    if( prog=regcomp(re) ) {
+	char const **p = stringvec;
+	char const **q = p;
+
+	while(*p) {
+	    if( regexec(prog, *p) ) *q++ = *p;
+	    p++;
+	    }
+	Free(prog);
+	*nummatch = q-stringvec;
 	}
 
-    Free(prog);
-    *nummatch = q-stringvec;
-    return NULL;
+    return regexp_error;
     }