diff --git a/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c b/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
index 6a2fa3b0..312f0227 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/mod-hawk.c
@@ -56,14 +56,26 @@ static hawk_oow_t push_args_from_stack (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, hawk_nde_fncall_t* call
 	org_stack_base = rtx->stack_base;
 	for (i = pasf->start_index, j = 0; i <= pasf->end_index; i++, j++) 
 	{
+		hawk_ooch_t spec;
+
 		rtx->stack_base = pasf->stack_base;
 		v = HAWK_RTX_STACK_ARG(rtx, i);
 		rtx->stack_base = org_stack_base;
 
-		if (j < spec_len && pasf->fun->argspec[j] == 'r' && HAWK_RTX_GETVALTYPE(rtx, v) != HAWK_VAL_REF)
+		/* if not sufficient number of spec characters given, take the last value and use it */
+		spec = (spec_len <= 0)? '\0': pasf->fun->argspec[((j < spec_len)? j: spec_len - 1)];
+
+		if (HAWK_RTX_GETVALTYPE(rtx, v) == HAWK_VAL_REF)
 		{
-			hawk_rtx_seterrnum (rtx, &call->loc, HAWK_ENOTREF);
-			return (hawk_oow_t)-1;
+			v = hawk_rtx_getrefval(rtx, (hawk_val_ref_t*)v);
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			if (spec == 'r')
+			{
+				hawk_rtx_seterrnum (rtx, &call->loc, HAWK_ENOTREF);
+				return (hawk_oow_t)-1;
+			}
 		}
 
 		HAWK_RTX_STACK_PUSH (rtx, v);
diff --git a/hawk/lib/run.c b/hawk/lib/run.c
index 05044d6a..2a4413e8 100644
--- a/hawk/lib/run.c
+++ b/hawk/lib/run.c
@@ -6377,20 +6377,8 @@ static hawk_oow_t push_arg_from_nde (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, hawk_nde_fncall_t* call, v
 	{
 		hawk_ooch_t spec;
 
-		if (spec_len > 0)
-		{
-			if (nargs >= spec_len)
-			{
-				/* not sufficient number of spec characters given.
-				 * take the last value and use it */
-				spec = arg_spec[spec_len - 1]; 
-			}
-			else
-			{
-				spec = arg_spec[nargs];
-			}
-		}
-		else spec = '\0';
+		/* if not sufficient number of spec characters given, take the last value and use it */
+		spec = (spec_len <= 0)? '\0': arg_spec[((nargs < spec_len)? nargs: spec_len - 1)];
 
 		switch (spec)
 		{
diff --git a/hawk/t/h-001.hawk b/hawk/t/h-001.hawk
index 1c90a491..7aeabb16 100644
--- a/hawk/t/h-001.hawk
+++ b/hawk/t/h-001.hawk
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 @pragma entry main
 
+
 function ensure (a, b, desc)
 {
 	if (a != b) 
 	{
-		print "FAILURE", desc;
+		print "FAILURE in", desc;
 		exit (-1);
 	}
 }
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ function call_by_ref_1(&a, b, &c)
 function call_by_ref_2(a, &b)
 {
 	b[1] = b[1] * a;
+	b[2] = "perfect";
 	return a;
 }
 
@@ -27,12 +29,13 @@ function main()
 	x = 20;
 	y = 90;
 	r = call_by_ref_1(x, y, z);	
-	ensure (r, 1800);
+	ensure (r, 1800, SCRIPTNAME);
 	ensure (x, 20);
 	ensure (y, 90);
 	ensure (z, "hello, world");
 
 ## TODO: add a new special word, @FILENAME, @FILELINE, @LINE <--- which are understood by the parser and swapped to the actual value
+## SCRIPTNAME doesn't tell the main file.
 
 	{
 		@local b;
@@ -53,7 +56,9 @@ function main()
 		b[1] = 1;
 		r = hawk::call("call_by_ref_2", 99, b);
 		ensure (r, 99);
-		ensure (b[1], 99);
+		ensure (length(b), 2, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (b[1], 99, SCRIPTNAME);
+		ensure (b[2], "perfect", SCRIPTNAME);
 	}
 
 	print "SUCCESS"