diff --git a/lib/fnc.c b/lib/fnc.c
index 1c2138f2..2222d7af 100644
--- a/lib/fnc.c
+++ b/lib/fnc.c
@@ -1009,7 +1009,7 @@ static int fnc_split (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi, int use_array)
 		/*t2 = hawk_rtx_makestrvalwithoocs(rtx, &tok);*/
 		/*t2 = hawk_rtx_makenstrvalwithoocs(rtx, &tok); */
 		t2 = is_byte_str? hawk_rtx_makenumormbsvalwithbchars(rtx, (hawk_bch_t*)tok.ptr, tok.len):
-		               hawk_rtx_makenumorstrvalwithoochars(rtx, tok.ptr, tok.len);
+		                  hawk_rtx_makenumorstrvalwithoochars(rtx, tok.ptr, tok.len);
 		if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(!t2)) goto oops;
 
 		if (use_array)
diff --git a/t/h-002.hawk b/t/h-002.hawk
index 7ac90299..8e6bd863 100644
--- a/t/h-002.hawk
+++ b/t/h-002.hawk
@@ -486,6 +486,14 @@ function main()
 		tap_ensure (a[3] === @b"So]me",                            1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 		tap_ensure (a[4] === @b"Da:ta",                            1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 
+		## the splitter begins with a question mark and contains 4 characters
+		## (separator, escaper, left-quote, right-qoute) after it.
+		tap_ensure (split(@b"sea of people, brandy, coke, dark\\,age", a, "?,\\\"\""), 4, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[1] === @b"sea of people",                    1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[2] === @b"brandy",                           1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[3] === @b"coke",                             1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[4] === @b"dark,age",                         1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+
 		tap_ensure (split("Here===Is=Some=====Data", a, ""),       23,     @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 		tap_ensure (hawk::typename(a),                             "map",  @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 		tap_ensure (str::splita("Here===Is=Some=====Data", a, ""),  23,    @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
@@ -512,25 +520,25 @@ function main()
 		tap_ensure (a[4],               "b\t\tc",       @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 		tap_ensure (a[5],               "d",            @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 
-		tap_ensure  (str::split('a', a, /a/), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[1] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[2] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (str::split('a', a, /a/), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[1] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[2] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 
-		tap_ensure  (str::split('a', a, 'a'), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[1] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[2] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (str::split('a', a, 'a'), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[1] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[2] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 
-		tap_ensure  (str::split('a', a, @b'a'), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[1] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[2] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (str::split('a', a, @b'a'), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[1] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[2] === "", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 
-		tap_ensure  (str::split(@b'a', a, /a/), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[1] === @b"", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[2] === @b"", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (str::split(@b'a', a, /a/), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[1] === @b"", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[2] === @b"", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 
-		tap_ensure  (str::split(@b'a', a, @b'a'), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[1] === @b"", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure  (a[2] === @b"", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (str::split(@b'a', a, @b'a'), 2, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[1] === @b"", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (a[2] === @b"", 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 	}