diff --git a/scheme/ikarus.io.ss b/scheme/ikarus.io.ss
index 378a9e2..94daa57 100644
--- a/scheme/ikarus.io.ss
+++ b/scheme/ikarus.io.ss
@@ -140,7 +140,8 @@
      fxior fxand fxsra fxsll
      integer->char char->integer
      string-ref string-set! string-length
-     bytevector-u8-ref bytevector-u8-set!)
+     bytevector-u8-ref bytevector-u8-set!
+     bytevector-u16-ref)
     (import 
       (rename (ikarus system $strings)
         ($string-length string-length)
@@ -163,7 +164,16 @@
         ($fx>      fx>)
         ($fx>=     fx>=)
         ($fx<=     fx<=)
-        ($fx=      fx=))))
+        ($fx=      fx=)))
+    (define (bytevector-u16-ref x i endianness)
+      (case endianness
+        [(little) 
+         (fxlogor (bytevector-u8-ref x i)
+                  (fxsll (bytevector-u8-ref x (fx+ i 1)) 8))]
+        [else
+         (fxlogor (bytevector-u8-ref x (fx+ i 1))
+                  (fxsll (bytevector-u8-ref x i) 8))])))
+
 
   (define (port? x)
     (import (only (ikarus) port?))
diff --git a/scheme/ikarus.unicode-conversion.ss b/scheme/ikarus.unicode-conversion.ss
index ec04674..35ca3cc 100644
--- a/scheme/ikarus.unicode-conversion.ss
+++ b/scheme/ikarus.unicode-conversion.ss
@@ -410,7 +410,7 @@
         [(str) 
          (unless (string? str)
            (die 'string->utf16 "not a string" str))
-         ($string->utf16 str (native-endianness))]
+         ($string->utf16 str 'big)]
         [(str endianness)
          (unless (string? str)
            (die 'string->utf16 "not a string" str))
@@ -431,20 +431,20 @@
            (cond
              [(or (fx< w1 #xD800) (fx> w1 #xDFFF))
               (count-size bv endianness (+ i 2) len (+ n 1))]
-             [(not (fx<= #xD800 w1 #xDBFF)) ;;; die sequence
+             [(not (fx<= #xD800 w1 #xDBFF)) ;;; error sequence
               (count-size bv endianness (+ i 2) len (+ n 1))]
              [(<= (+ i 4) (bytevector-length bv))
               (let ([w2 (bytevector-u16-ref bv (+ i 2) endianness)])
                 (cond
                   [(not (<= #xDC00 w2 #xDFFF)) 
                    ;;; do we skip w2 also?
-                   ;;; I won't.  Just w1 is an die
+                   ;;; I won't.  Just w1 is an error
                    (count-size bv endianness (+ i 2) len (+ n 1))]
                   [else 
                    ;;; 4-byte sequence is ok
                    (count-size bv endianness (+ i 4) len (+ n 1))]))]
              [else 
-              ;;; die again
+              ;;; error again
               (count-size bv endianness (+ i 2) len (+ n 1))]))]))
     (define (fill bv endianness str i len n)
       (cond
@@ -531,7 +531,7 @@
         [(str) 
          (unless (string? str)
            (die who "not a string" str))
-         ($string->utf32 str (native-endianness))]
+         ($string->utf32 str 'big)]
         [(str endianness)
          (unless (string? str)
            (die who "not a string" str))
diff --git a/scheme/last-revision b/scheme/last-revision
index 755d892..d65a7d9 100644
--- a/scheme/last-revision
+++ b/scheme/last-revision
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1637
+1638