--- a/ExternalBytes.st	Tue Dec 11 19:55:07 2001 +0100
+++ b/ExternalBytes.st	Tue Dec 11 21:03:08 2001 +0100
@@ -745,23 +745,34 @@
     int idx;
     OBJ sz;
 
-    if (cp && __bothSmallInteger(index, value)) {
-	idx = __intVal(index);
-	if (idx > 0) {
-	    if (((sz = __INST(size)) == nil)
-	     || (__intVal(sz) >= idx)) {
-		val = __intVal(value);
-		if ((val & ~0xFF) == 0) /* i.e. (val >= 0) && (val <= 255) */  {
-		    cp[idx-1] = val;
-		    RETURN ( value );
-		}
-	    }
-	}
+    if (__isSmallInteger(value)) {
+        val = __smallIntegerVal(value);
+    } else if (__isCharacter(value)) {  
+        val = __smallIntegerVal(_characterVal(value));
+    } else
+        goto badArg;
+
+    if (cp && __isSmallInteger(index)) {
+        idx = __intVal(index);
+        if (idx > 0) {
+            if (((sz = __INST(size)) == nil)
+             || (__intVal(sz) >= idx)) {
+                if ((val & ~0xFF) == 0) /* i.e. (val >= 0) && (val <= 255) */  {
+                    cp[idx-1] = val;
+                    RETURN ( value );
+                }
+            }
+        }
     }
+
+badArg: ;
 %}.
 
     (size notNil and:[self address notNil]) ifTrue:[
-	^ self subscriptBoundsError:index
+        (index between:1 and:size) ifTrue:[
+            ^ ElementOutOfBoundsSignal raise
+        ].
+        ^ self subscriptBoundsError:index
     ].
     "
      invalid index, invalid value or unallocated
@@ -919,6 +930,6 @@
 !ExternalBytes class methodsFor:'documentation'!
 
 version
-    ^ '$Header: /cvs/stx/stx/libbasic/ExternalBytes.st,v 1.32 2001-11-27 18:17:11 cg Exp $'
+    ^ '$Header: /cvs/stx/stx/libbasic/ExternalBytes.st,v 1.33 2001-12-11 20:03:08 cg Exp $'
 ! !
 ExternalBytes initialize!