diff --git a/demo/main.cpp b/demo/main.cpp
index 0372c67..099575c 100644
--- a/demo/main.cpp
+++ b/demo/main.cpp
@@ -110,6 +110,37 @@ struct client_ssl_functor_t
     cql::cql_client_t::cql_log_callback_t _log_callback;
 };
 
+static bool terminate = false;
+
+static void* workThread( void* args ) {
+    cql::cql_client_pool_t* pool = (cql::cql_client_pool_t*) args;
+    
+    while ( !terminate ) {
+        // execute a query, select all rows from the keyspace
+        boost::shared_future<cql::cql_future_result_t> future = pool->query("SELECT * from system.schema_keyspaces;", cql::CQL_CONSISTENCY_ONE);
+        
+        // wait for the query to execute
+        future.wait();
+
+        // check whether the query succeeded
+        std::cout << "select successfull? " << (!future.get().error.is_err() ? "true" : "false") << std::endl;
+
+        if (future.get().error.is_err()) {
+            // Don't let this disappear in the log messages.
+            std::cout << "CATASTROPHIC ERROR: " << future.get().error.message << std::endl;
+            exit(1);
+        }
+            
+        if (future.get().result) {
+            // print the rows return by the successful query
+            print_rows(*future.get().result);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
 int
 main(int argc,
      char**)
@@ -142,18 +173,28 @@ main(int argc,
         // Construct the pool
         std::auto_ptr<cql::cql_client_pool_t> pool(cql::cql_client_pool_factory_t::create_client_pool_t(client_factory, NULL, NULL));
 
-        // Add a client to the pool, this operation returns a future.
-        boost::shared_future<cql::cql_future_connection_t> connect_future = pool->add_client("localhost", 9042);
+        const int numthreads = 3;
+
+        // TODO: What yields the best performance if the number of work threads is larger that
+        // that of available backends? One connection per backend in the pool or enouch
+        // identical connections to serve all client threads?
 
-        // Wait until the connection is complete, or has failed.
-        connect_future.wait();
+        for (int i = 0; i < numthreads; i++) {
+            // Add a client to the pool, this operation returns a future.
+            boost::shared_future<cql::cql_future_connection_t> connect_future = pool->add_client("localhost", 9042);
+            
+            // Wait until the connection is complete, or has failed.
+            connect_future.wait();
 
-        // Check whether or not the connection was successful.
-        std::cout << "connect successfull? ";
-        if (!connect_future.get().error.is_err()) {
-            // The connection succeeded
-            std::cout << "TRUE" << std::endl;
+            // Check whether or not the connection was successful.
+            std::cout << "connect successfull? ";
+            if (!connect_future.get().error.is_err()) {
+                // The connection succeeded
+                std::cout << "TRUE" << std::endl;
+            }
+        }
 
+        if (pool->size() > 0) {
             // execute a query, switch keyspaces
             boost::shared_future<cql::cql_future_result_t> future = pool->query("USE system;", cql::CQL_CONSISTENCY_ONE);
 
@@ -176,6 +217,27 @@ main(int argc,
                 print_rows(*future.get().result);
             }
 
+            // More of the same from a multithreaded context.
+            pthread_t pids[numthreads];
+
+            for (int i = 0; i < numthreads; i++) {
+                pthread_t pid;
+                pthread_create( &pid, NULL, workThread, (void*) (pool.get()) );
+                pids[i] = pid;
+            }
+            
+            // Let the threads run for a bit.
+            sleep (5);
+
+            terminate = true;
+            std::cout << "WRAPPING UP" << std::endl;
+
+            // give all threads the chance to finish
+            for (int i = 0; i < numthreads; i++) {
+                void *status;
+                pthread_join(pids[i], &status);
+            }
+
             // close the connection pool
             pool->close();
         }
diff --git a/include/libcql/internal/cql_callback_storage.hpp b/include/libcql/internal/cql_callback_storage.hpp
index 18577b9..ad3cfcf 100644
--- a/include/libcql/internal/cql_callback_storage.hpp
+++ b/include/libcql/internal/cql_callback_storage.hpp
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ namespace cql {
             void
             set_allocated()
             {
+                // Something went badly wrong if the object is already allocated.
+                assert(e.next_free.index != -2);
                 e.next_free.index = -2;
             }
         };
@@ -98,6 +100,7 @@ namespace cql {
         typedef entry_t<value_t> array_entry_t;
         array_entry_t* array;
         int32_t next_free_index;
+        boost::mutex _mutex;
     public:
         explicit
         small_indexed_storage(uint16_t size) :
@@ -116,6 +119,8 @@ namespace cql {
         allocate()
         {
             int32_t result;
+            boost::mutex::scoped_lock lock(_mutex);
+
             if ( (result = next_free_index) >= 0) {
                 if (array[next_free_index].next_free_cnt() > 0) {
                     array[++next_free_index].set_next_free(array[result].next_free_index(), array[result].next_free_cnt()-1);
@@ -133,6 +138,8 @@ namespace cql {
         void
         release(int32_t index)
         {
+            boost::mutex::scoped_lock lock(_mutex);
+            
             array[index].set_next_free(next_free_index);
             next_free_index = index;
         }