diff --git a/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/BasicCollector.java b/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/BasicCollector.java
index f9278c1..bd324c2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/BasicCollector.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/BasicCollector.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package com.samskivert.mustache;
 
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 /**
@@ -25,12 +26,16 @@ public abstract class BasicCollector implements Mustache.Collector
 
     public Mustache.VariableFetcher createFetcher (Object ctx, String name) {
         // support both .name and this.name to fetch members
-        if (name == Template.DOT_NAME || name == Template.THIS_NAME) {
-            return THIS_FETCHER;
-        }
+        if (name == Template.DOT_NAME || name == Template.THIS_NAME) return THIS_FETCHER;
 
-        if (ctx instanceof Map<?,?>) {
-            return MAP_FETCHER;
+        if (ctx instanceof Map<?,?>) return MAP_FETCHER;
+
+        // if the name looks like a number, potentially use one of our 'indexing' fetchers
+        char c = name.charAt(0);
+        if (c >= '0' && c <= '9') {
+            if (ctx instanceof List<?>) return LIST_FETCHER;
+            if (ctx instanceof Object[]) return ARRAY_FETCHER;
+            if (ctx instanceof Iterator<?>) return ITER_FETCHER;
         }
 
         return null;
@@ -47,6 +52,38 @@ public abstract class BasicCollector implements Mustache.Collector
         }
     };
 
+    protected static final Mustache.VariableFetcher LIST_FETCHER = new Mustache.VariableFetcher() {
+        public Object get (Object ctx, String name) throws Exception {
+            try {
+                return ((List<?>)ctx).get(Integer.parseInt(name));
+            } catch (NumberFormatException nfe) {
+                return Template.NO_FETCHER_FOUND;
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
+    protected static final Mustache.VariableFetcher ARRAY_FETCHER = new Mustache.VariableFetcher() {
+        public Object get (Object ctx, String name) throws Exception {
+            try {
+                return ((Object[])ctx)[Integer.parseInt(name)];
+            } catch (NumberFormatException nfe) {
+                return Template.NO_FETCHER_FOUND;
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
+    protected static final Mustache.VariableFetcher ITER_FETCHER = new Mustache.VariableFetcher() {
+        public Object get (Object ctx, String name) throws Exception {
+            try {
+                Iterator<?> iter = (Iterator<?>)ctx;
+                for (int ii = 0, ll = Integer.parseInt(name); ii < ll; ii++) iter.next();
+                return iter.next();
+            } catch (NumberFormatException nfe) {
+                return Template.NO_FETCHER_FOUND;
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
     protected static final Mustache.VariableFetcher THIS_FETCHER = new Mustache.VariableFetcher() {
         public Object get (Object ctx, String name) throws Exception {
             return ctx;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/Template.java b/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/Template.java
index 2261ecd..c45aeb2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/Template.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/Template.java
@@ -7,12 +7,8 @@ package com.samskivert.mustache;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.StringWriter;
 import java.io.Writer;
-import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.Arrays;
-import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Iterator;
-import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 /**
@@ -143,18 +139,7 @@ public class Template
                     }
                     // once we step into a composite key, we drop the ability to query our parent
                     // contexts; that would be weird and confusing
-                    String next = comps[ii].intern();
-                    Integer idx = toNumber(next);
-                    if (idx != null) {
-                        Object nextData = null;
-                        List<Object> c = toList(data);
-                        if (c != null && idx >= 0 && idx < c.size()) {
-                            nextData = c.get(idx);
-                        }
-                        data = nextData;
-                    } else {
-                        data = getValueIn(data, next, line);
-                    }
+                    data = getValueIn(data, comps[ii].intern(), line);
                 }
                 return checkForMissing(name, line, missingIsNull, data);
             }
@@ -184,30 +169,6 @@ public class Template
         return checkForMissing(name, line, missingIsNull, NO_FETCHER_FOUND);
     }
 
-    protected static List<Object> toList(Object obj) {
-        if (obj instanceof Collection) {
-            return new ArrayList<Object>((Collection) obj);
-        } else if (obj instanceof Iterator) {
-            Iterator<Object> it = (Iterator<Object>) obj;
-            List<Object> lst = new ArrayList<Object>();
-            while (it.hasNext()) {
-                lst.add(it.next());
-            }
-            return lst;
-        } else if (obj instanceof Object[]) {
-            return Arrays.asList((Object[]) obj);
-        }
-        return null;
-    }
-
-    protected static Integer toNumber(String value) {
-        try {
-            return Integer.parseInt(value);
-        } catch (NumberFormatException ex) {
-            return null;
-        }
-    }
-
     /**
      * Returns the value of the specified variable, noting that it is intended to be used as the
      * contents for a segment. Presently this does not do anything special, but eventually this