diff --git a/src/allmain.c b/src/allmain.c
index fafbd8761..ad2896654 100644
--- a/src/allmain.c
+++ b/src/allmain.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.7	allmain.c	$NHDT-Date: 1685863328 2023/06/04 07:22:08 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.218 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.7	allmain.c	$NHDT-Date: 1688415115 2023/07/03 20:11:55 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.219 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Robert Patrick Rankin, 2012. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -830,22 +830,32 @@ welcome(boolean new_game) /* false => restoring an old game */
 static void
 do_positionbar(void)
 {
+    /* FIXME: this will break if any coordinate is too big for (char);
+       the sys/msdos/vid*.c code uses (unsigned char) which is less
+       vulnerable but not guaranteed to be able to hold coordxy values;
+       also, there doesn't appear to be any need for this to be static,
+       nor to contain pairs of (> or <) and x; it could just be a full
+       line of spaces and > or < characters with update_positionbar()
+       revised to reconstruct the x values for non-space characters */
     static char pbar[COLNO];
     char *p;
-    stairway *stway = gs.stairs;
+    stairway *stway;
+    coordxy x, y;
+    int glyph, symbol;
 
     p = pbar;
     /* TODO: use the same method as getpos() so objects don't cover stairs */
-    while (stway) {
-        int x = stway->sx;
-        int y = stway->sy;
-        int glyph = glyph_to_cmap(gl.level.locations[x][y].glyph);
+    /* FIXME: traversing 'stairs' list ignores mimics that pose as stairs */
+    for (stway = gs.stairs; stway; stway = stway->next) {
+        x = stway->sx;
+        y = stway->sy;
+        glyph = levl[x][y].glyph;
+        symbol = glyph_to_cmap(glyph);
 
-        if (is_cmap_stairs(glyph)) {
+        if (is_cmap_stairs(symbol)) {
             *p++ = (stway->up ? '<' : '>');
-            *p++ = stway->sx;
+            *p++ = (char) x;
         }
-        stway = stway->next;
      }
 
     /* hero location */
diff --git a/src/do.c b/src/do.c
index ef0ed5377..65c3796d9 100644
--- a/src/do.c
+++ b/src/do.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.7	do.c	$NHDT-Date: 1685863330 2023/06/04 07:22:10 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.355 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.7	do.c	$NHDT-Date: 1688415121 2023/07/03 20:12:01 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.357 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Derek S. Ray, 2015. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -1057,9 +1057,8 @@ int
 dodown(void)
 {
     struct trap *trap = 0;
-    stairway *stway = stairway_at(u.ux, u.uy);
-    boolean stairs_down = (stway && !stway->up && !stway->isladder),
-            ladder_down = (stway && !stway->up &&  stway->isladder);
+    stairway *stway;
+    boolean stairs_down, ladder_down;
 
     set_move_cmd(DIR_DOWN, 0);
 
@@ -1069,6 +1068,13 @@ dodown(void)
     if (stucksteed(TRUE)) {
         return ECMD_OK;
     }
+
+    stairs_down = ladder_down = FALSE;
+    if ((stway = stairway_at(u.ux, u.uy)) != 0 && !stway->up) {
+        stairs_down = !stway->isladder;
+        ladder_down = !stairs_down;
+    }
+
     /* Levitation might be blocked, but player can still use '>' to
        turn off controlled levitation */
     if (HLevitation || ELevitation) {
@@ -1096,16 +1102,18 @@ dodown(void)
         if (BLevitation) {
             ; /* weren't actually floating after all */
         } else if (Blind) {
+            /* glyph_to_cmap() is a macro which expands its argument many
+               times; use this to do part of its work just once */
+            int glyph_at_uxuy = levl[u.ux][u.uy].glyph;
+
             /* Avoid alerting player to an unknown stair or ladder.
              * Changes the message for a covered, known staircase
              * too; staircase knowledge is not stored anywhere.
              */
             if (stairs_down)
-                stairs_down =
-                    (glyph_to_cmap(levl[u.ux][u.uy].glyph) == S_dnstair);
+                stairs_down = (glyph_to_cmap(glyph_at_uxuy) == S_dnstair);
             else if (ladder_down)
-                ladder_down =
-                    (glyph_to_cmap(levl[u.ux][u.uy].glyph) == S_dnladder);
+                ladder_down = (glyph_to_cmap(glyph_at_uxuy) == S_dnladder);
         }
         if (Is_airlevel(&u.uz))
             You("are floating in the %s.", surface(u.ux, u.uy));
@@ -1113,9 +1121,9 @@ dodown(void)
             You("are floating in %s.",
                 is_pool(u.ux, u.uy) ? "the water" : "a bubble of air");
         else
-            floating_above(stairs_down ? "stairs" : ladder_down
-                                                    ? "ladder"
-                                                    : surface(u.ux, u.uy));
+            floating_above(stairs_down ? "stairs"
+                           : ladder_down ? "ladder"
+                             : surface(u.ux, u.uy));
         return ECMD_OK; /* didn't move */
     }