diff --git a/src/hb-buffer-private.hh b/src/hb-buffer-private.hh
index b539f2656..4077bb391 100644
--- a/src/hb-buffer-private.hh
+++ b/src/hb-buffer-private.hh
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ struct _hb_buffer_t {
   HB_INTERNAL void clear_positions (void);
   HB_INTERNAL void replace_glyphs_be16 (unsigned int num_in,
 					unsigned int num_out,
-					const uint16_t *glyph_data_be);
+					const char *glyph_data_be);
   HB_INTERNAL void replace_glyphs (unsigned int num_in,
 				   unsigned int num_out,
 				   const hb_codepoint_t *glyph_data);
diff --git a/src/hb-buffer.cc b/src/hb-buffer.cc
index e2c34f14c..9c9b32e3a 100644
--- a/src/hb-buffer.cc
+++ b/src/hb-buffer.cc
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ hb_buffer_t::swap_buffers (void)
 void
 hb_buffer_t::replace_glyphs_be16 (unsigned int num_in,
 				  unsigned int num_out,
-				  const uint16_t *glyph_data_be)
+				  const char *glyph_data_be)
 {
   if (!make_room_for (num_in, num_out)) return;
 
@@ -245,10 +245,11 @@ hb_buffer_t::replace_glyphs_be16 (unsigned int num_in,
   }
 
   hb_glyph_info_t *pinfo = &out_info[out_len];
+  const unsigned char *data = (const unsigned char *) glyph_data_be;
   for (unsigned int i = 0; i < num_out; i++)
   {
     *pinfo = orig_info;
-    pinfo->codepoint = hb_be_uint16 (glyph_data_be[i]);
+    pinfo->codepoint = (data[2*i] << 8) | data[2*i+1];
     pinfo++;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/hb-ot-layout-gsub-table.hh b/src/hb-ot-layout-gsub-table.hh
index f6a757530..4229f32f0 100644
--- a/src/hb-ot-layout-gsub-table.hh
+++ b/src/hb-ot-layout-gsub-table.hh
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ struct Sequence
     if (unlikely (!substitute.len)) return TRACE_RETURN (false);
 
     unsigned int klass = c->property & HB_OT_LAYOUT_GLYPH_CLASS_LIGATURE ? HB_OT_LAYOUT_GLYPH_CLASS_BASE_GLYPH : 0;
-    c->replace_glyphs_be16 (1, substitute.len, (const uint16_t *) substitute.array, klass);
+    c->replace_glyphs_be16 (1, substitute.len, (const char *) substitute.array, klass);
 
     return TRACE_RETURN (true);
   }
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ struct Ligature
 
     if (skippy_iter.idx < c->buffer->idx + count) /* No input glyphs skipped */
     {
-      c->replace_glyphs_be16 (count, 1, (const uint16_t *) &ligGlyph, klass);
+      c->replace_glyphs_be16 (count, 1, (const char *) &ligGlyph, klass);
     }
     else
     {
diff --git a/src/hb-ot-layout-gsubgpos-private.hh b/src/hb-ot-layout-gsubgpos-private.hh
index a2e4b2fdb..e590e3955 100644
--- a/src/hb-ot-layout-gsubgpos-private.hh
+++ b/src/hb-ot-layout-gsubgpos-private.hh
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ struct hb_apply_context_t
   }
   inline void replace_glyphs_be16 (unsigned int num_in,
 				   unsigned int num_out,
-				   const uint16_t *glyph_data_be,
+				   const char *glyph_data_be,
 				   unsigned int klass = 0) const
   {
     buffer->cur().props_cache() = klass; /* XXX if has gdef? */