diff --git a/display.c b/display.c
index baee7ba..fcd291f 100644
--- a/display.c
+++ b/display.c
@@ -1339,10 +1339,8 @@ static void mlputc( char c) {
  * char *fmt;		format string for output
  * char *arg;		pointer to first argument to print
  */
-void mlwrite(const char *fmt, ...)
-{
+void vmlwrite( const char *fmt, va_list ap) {
 	int c;		/* current char in format string */
-	va_list ap;
 
 	/* if we are not currently echoing on the command line, abort this */
 	if (discmd == FALSE) {
@@ -1362,7 +1360,6 @@ void mlwrite(const char *fmt, ...)
 		movecursor( term.t_nrow, 0) ;
 
 	mpresf = *fmt ? TRUE : FALSE ;	/* flag if line has content or not */
-	va_start(ap, fmt);
 	while ((c = *fmt++) != 0) {
 		if (c != '%')
 			mlputc( c) ;
@@ -1402,7 +1399,6 @@ void mlwrite(const char *fmt, ...)
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	va_end(ap);
 
 	/* if we can, erase to the end of screen */
 	if( eolexist == TRUE && ttcol < term.t_ncol)
@@ -1411,6 +1407,14 @@ void mlwrite(const char *fmt, ...)
 	TTflush();
 }
 
+void mlwrite( const char *fmt, ...) {
+	va_list ap ;
+	
+	va_start( ap, fmt) ;
+	vmlwrite( fmt, ap) ;
+	va_end( ap) ;
+}
+
 /*
  * Write out a string. Update the physical cursor position. This assumes that
  * the characters in the string all have width "1"; if this is not the case
diff --git a/display.h b/display.h
index 82d4adb..3cb26b2 100644
--- a/display.h
+++ b/display.h
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #ifndef _DISPLAY_H_
 #define _DISPLAY_H_
 
+#include <stdarg.h>
+
 #include "estruct.h"
 
 extern int mpresf ;		/* Stuff in message line */
@@ -22,6 +24,7 @@ int updupd( int force) ;
 void upmode( void) ;
 void movecursor( int row, int col) ;
 void mlerase( void) ;
+void vmlwrite( const char *fmt, va_list ap) ;
 void mlwrite( const char *fmt, ...) ;
 void getscreensize( int *widthp, int *heightp) ;
 
diff --git a/eval.c b/eval.c
index b150c8a..c75789b 100644
--- a/eval.c
+++ b/eval.c
@@ -259,6 +259,7 @@ struct variable_description {
 
 static void findvar( char *var, struct variable_description *vd, int size) ;
 static int svar( struct variable_description *var, char *value) ;
+static char *i_to_a( int i) ;
 
 /*
  * putctext:
@@ -817,15 +818,18 @@ int setvar(int f, int n)
 static void mlforce( char *s) ;
 
 #if DEBUGM
-int mdbugout( char *fmt, char *s1, char *s2, char *s3) {
+int mdbugout( char *fmt, ...) {
 	int	c ;	/* input from kbd, output to terminal */
 	int savediscmd ;
+	va_list	ap ;
 
 	/* assignment status ; variable name ; value we tried to assign  */
 	/* write out the debug line */
 	savediscmd = discmd ;
 	discmd = TRUE ;
-	mlwrite( fmt, s1, s2, s3) ;
+	va_start( ap, fmt) ;
+	vmlwrite( fmt, ap) ;
+	va_end( ap) ;
 	discmd = savediscmd ;
 	update( TRUE) ;
 
@@ -1076,7 +1080,7 @@ static int svar(struct variable_description *var, char *value)
  *
  * int i;		integer to translate to a string
  */
-char *i_to_a( int i) {
+static char *i_to_a( int i) {
 	unsigned u ;
 	int sign ;	/* sign of resulting number */
 	/* returns result string: sign digits null */
diff --git a/eval.h b/eval.h
index 3d6ef4a..e5943d5 100644
--- a/eval.h
+++ b/eval.h
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 #define DEBUGM	1		/* $debug triggers macro debugging	*/
 
 #if	DEBUGM
-int mdbugout( char *fmt, char *s1, char *s2, char *s3) ;
+int mdbugout( char *fmt, ...) ;
 #endif
 
 
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ int is_it_cmd( char *token) ;
 
 void varinit( void) ;
 int setvar( int f, int n) ;
-char *i_to_a( int i) ;
 char *getval( char *token) ;
 int stol( char *val) ;
 char *mklower( char *str) ;
diff --git a/exec.c b/exec.c
index b649883..849e1ca 100644
--- a/exec.c
+++ b/exec.c
@@ -647,8 +647,7 @@ static int dobuf(struct buffer *bp)
 			int c ;
         	
             /* debug macro name, if levels and lastly the line */
-			c = mdbugout( "<<<%s:%s:%s>>>", bp->b_bname, i_to_a( execlevel),
-																		eline) ;
+			c = mdbugout( "<<<%s:%d:%s>>>", bp->b_bname, execlevel, eline) ;
         	if( c == abortc) {
                 freewhile( whlist) ;
                 return FALSE ;