diff --git a/src/rumors.c b/src/rumors.c
index 6e78a90c8..0bca828da 100644
--- a/src/rumors.c
+++ b/src/rumors.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	SCCS Id: @(#)rumors.c	3.5	1996/04/20	*/
+/*	SCCS Id: @(#)rumors.c	3.5	2006/05/05	*/
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
@@ -15,7 +15,19 @@
  * this also happens with real fortune cookies.  -dgk
  */
 
-/*	3.1
+/*	3.5
+ * The rumors file consists of a "do not edit" line, then a line containing
+ * three sets of three counts (first two in decimal, third in hexadecimal).
+ * The first set has the number of true rumors, the count in bytes for all
+ * true rumors, and the file offset to the first one.  The second set has
+ * the same group of numbers for the false rumors.  The third set has 0 for
+ * count, 0 for size, and the file offset for end-of-file.  The offset of
+ * the first true rumor plus the size of the true rumors matches the offset
+ * of the first false rumor.  Likewise, the offset of the first false rumor
+ * plus the size of the false rumors matches the offset for end-of-file.
+ */
+
+/*	3.1	[now obsolete for rumors but still accurate for oracles]
  * The rumors file consists of a "do not edit" line, a hexadecimal number
  * giving the number of bytes of useful/true rumors, followed by those
  * true rumors (one per line), followed by the useless/false/misleading/cute
@@ -41,21 +53,26 @@ STATIC_OVL void
 init_rumors(fp)
 dlb *fp;
 {
+	static const char rumors_header[] = "%d,%ld,%lx;%d,%ld,%lx;0,0,%lx\n";
+	int true_count, false_count;	/* in file but not used here */
+	long eof_offset;
 	char line[BUFSZ];
 
 	(void) dlb_fgets(line, sizeof line, fp); /* skip "don't edit" comment */
 	(void) dlb_fgets(line, sizeof line, fp);
-	if (sscanf(line, "%6lx\n", &true_rumor_size) == 1 &&
-	    true_rumor_size > 0L) {
-	    (void) dlb_fseek(fp, 0L, SEEK_CUR);
-	    true_rumor_start  = dlb_ftell(fp);
-	    true_rumor_end    = true_rumor_start + true_rumor_size;
-	    (void) dlb_fseek(fp, 0L, SEEK_END);
-	    false_rumor_end   = dlb_ftell(fp);
-	    false_rumor_start = true_rumor_end;	/* ok, so it's redundant... */
-	    false_rumor_size  = false_rumor_end - false_rumor_start;
-	} else
+	if (sscanf(line, rumors_header,
+	           &true_count, &true_rumor_size, &true_rumor_start,
+	           &false_count, &false_rumor_size, &false_rumor_start,
+	           &eof_offset) == 7 &&
+	    true_rumor_size > 0L && false_rumor_size > 0L) {
+	    true_rumor_end  = true_rumor_start + true_rumor_size;
+	 /* assert( true_rumor_end == false_rumor_start ); */
+	    false_rumor_end = false_rumor_start + false_rumor_size;
+	 /* assert( false_rumor_end == eof_offset ); */
+	} else {
 	    true_rumor_size = -1L;	/* init failed */
+	    (void) dlb_fclose(fp);
+	}
 }
 
 /* exclude_cookie is a hack used because we sometimes want to get rumors in a
@@ -145,8 +162,11 @@ rumor_check()
 	winid tmpwin;
 	char *endp, line[BUFSZ], xbuf[BUFSZ], rumor_buf[BUFSZ];
 
-	if (true_rumor_size < 0L)	/* we couldn't open RUMORFILE */
+	if (true_rumor_size < 0L) {	/* we couldn't open RUMORFILE */
+ no_rumors:
+		pline("rumors not accessible.");
 		return;
+	}
 
 	rumors = dlb_fopen(RUMORFILE, "r");
 
@@ -155,8 +175,7 @@ rumor_check()
 		rumor_buf[0] = '\0';
 		if (true_rumor_size == 0L) {	/* if this is 1st outrumor() */
 		    init_rumors(rumors);
-		    if (true_rumor_size < 0L) 	/* init failed */
-			return;
+		    if (true_rumor_size < 0L) goto no_rumors; /* init failed */
 		}
 		tmpwin = create_nhwindow(NHW_TEXT);
 
@@ -193,6 +212,13 @@ rumor_check()
 		Sprintf(rumor_buf, "T %06ld %s", ftell_rumor_start,
 			xcrypt(line, xbuf));
 		putstr(tmpwin, 0, rumor_buf);
+		/* find last true rumor */
+		while (dlb_fgets(line, sizeof line, rumors) &&
+			dlb_ftell(rumors) < true_rumor_end)
+		    continue;
+		if ((endp = index(line, '\n')) != 0) *endp = 0;
+		Sprintf(rumor_buf, "  %6s %s", "", xcrypt(line, xbuf));
+		putstr(tmpwin, 0, rumor_buf);
 
 		rumor_buf[0] = '\0';
 		(void) dlb_fseek(rumors, false_rumor_start, SEEK_SET);
@@ -202,6 +228,13 @@ rumor_check()
 		Sprintf(rumor_buf, "F %06ld %s", ftell_rumor_start,
 			xcrypt(line, xbuf));
 		putstr(tmpwin, 0, rumor_buf);
+		/* find last false rumor */
+		while (dlb_fgets(line, sizeof line, rumors) &&
+			dlb_ftell(rumors) < false_rumor_end)
+		    continue;
+		if ((endp = index(line, '\n')) != 0) *endp = 0;
+		Sprintf(rumor_buf, "  %6s %s", "", xcrypt(line, xbuf));
+		putstr(tmpwin, 0, rumor_buf);
 
 		(void) dlb_fclose(rumors);
 		display_nhwindow(tmpwin, TRUE);
diff --git a/util/makedefs.c b/util/makedefs.c
index c3b0ea451..c1d131e8a 100644
--- a/util/makedefs.c
+++ b/util/makedefs.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	SCCS Id: @(#)makedefs.c	3.5	2005/01/04	*/
+/*	SCCS Id: @(#)makedefs.c	3.5	2006/05/05	*/
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /* Copyright (c) M. Stephenson, 1990, 1991.			  */
 /* Copyright (c) Dean Luick, 1990.				  */
@@ -347,84 +347,110 @@ const char *str;
 void
 do_rumors()
 {
-	char	infile[60];
-	long	true_rumor_size;
+	static const char rumors_header[] =
+			"%s%04d,%06ld,%06lx;%04d,%06ld,%06lx;0,0,%06lx\n";
+	char	infile[60], tempfile[60];
+	int	true_rumor_count, false_rumor_count;
+	long	true_rumor_size, false_rumor_size,
+		true_rumor_offset, false_rumor_offset, eof_offset;
 
+	Sprintf(tempfile, DATA_TEMPLATE, "rumors.tmp");
 	filename[0]='\0';
 #ifdef FILE_PREFIX
-	Strcat(filename,file_prefix);
+	Strcat(filename, file_prefix);
 #endif
 	Sprintf(eos(filename), DATA_TEMPLATE, RUMOR_FILE);
-	if (!(ofp = fopen(filename,
-#ifdef WIN32
-				    WRBMODE
-#else
-				    WRTMODE
-#endif
-					   ))) {
+	if (!(ofp = fopen(filename, WRTMODE))) {
 		perror(filename);
 		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 	}
-	Fprintf(ofp,Dont_Edit_Data);
+	if (!(tfp = fopen(tempfile, WRTMODE))) {
+		perror(tempfile);
+		Fclose(ofp);
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
+
+	true_rumor_count = false_rumor_count = 0;
+	true_rumor_size = false_rumor_size = 0L;
+	true_rumor_offset = false_rumor_offset = eof_offset = 0L;
+
+	/* output a dummy header record; we'll replace it in final output */
+	Fprintf(tfp, rumors_header, Dont_Edit_Data, 
+		true_rumor_count, true_rumor_size, true_rumor_offset,
+		false_rumor_count, false_rumor_size, false_rumor_offset,
+		eof_offset);
+	/* record the current position; true rumors will start here */
+	true_rumor_offset = ftell(tfp);
 
 	Sprintf(infile, DATA_IN_TEMPLATE, RUMOR_FILE);
 	Strcat(infile, ".tru");
-	if (!(ifp = fopen(infile,
-#ifdef WIN32
-				    RDBMODE
-#else
-				    RDTMODE
-#endif
-					   ))) {
+	if (!(ifp = fopen(infile, RDTMODE))) {
 		perror(infile);
-		Fclose(ofp);
-		Unlink(filename);	/* kill empty output file */
-		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		goto rumors_failure;
 	}
 
-	/* get size of true rumors file */
-#ifndef VMS
-	(void) fseek(ifp, 0L, SEEK_END);
-	true_rumor_size = ftell(ifp);
-#else
-	/* seek+tell is only valid for stream format files; since rumors.%%%
-	   might be in record format, count the actual data bytes instead.
-	 */
-	true_rumor_size = 0;
-	while (fgets(in_line, sizeof in_line, ifp) != 0)
+	/* copy the true rumors */
+	while (fgets(in_line, sizeof in_line, ifp) != 0) {
+		true_rumor_count++;
 		true_rumor_size += strlen(in_line);	/* includes newline */
-#endif /* VMS */
-	Fprintf(ofp,"%06lx\n", true_rumor_size);
-	(void) fseek(ifp, 0L, SEEK_SET);
-
-	/* copy true rumors */
-	while (fgets(in_line, sizeof in_line, ifp) != 0)
-		(void) fputs(xcrypt(in_line), ofp);
-
-	Fclose(ifp);
+		(void) fputs(xcrypt(in_line), tfp);
+	}
+	/* record the current position; false rumors will start here */
+	false_rumor_offset = ftell(tfp);
+	Fclose(ifp);		/* all done with rumors.tru */
 
+	/* process rumors.fal */
 	Sprintf(infile, DATA_IN_TEMPLATE, RUMOR_FILE);
 	Strcat(infile, ".fal");
-	if (!(ifp = fopen(infile,
-#ifdef WIN32
-				  RDBMODE
-#else
-				  RDTMODE
-#endif
-					 ))) {
+	if (!(ifp = fopen(infile, RDTMODE))) {
 		perror(infile);
-		Fclose(ofp);
-		Unlink(filename);	/* kill incomplete output file */
-		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		goto rumors_failure;
 	}
 
 	/* copy false rumors */
-	while (fgets(in_line, sizeof in_line, ifp) != 0)
-		(void) fputs(xcrypt(in_line), ofp);
+	while (fgets(in_line, sizeof in_line, ifp) != 0) {
+		false_rumor_count++;
+		false_rumor_size += strlen(in_line);	/* includes newline */
+		(void) fputs(xcrypt(in_line), tfp);
+	}
+	/* record the current position; EOF available for sanity check */
+	eof_offset = ftell(tfp);
+	Fclose(ifp);		/* all done with rumors.fal */
 
-	Fclose(ifp);
+	/* get ready to transfer the contents of temp file to output file */
+	Sprintf(in_line, "rewind of \"%s\"", tempfile);
+	if (rewind(tfp) != 0) {
+		perror(in_line);
+		goto rumors_failure;
+	}
+
+	/* output the header record */
+	Fprintf(ofp, rumors_header, Dont_Edit_Data, 
+		true_rumor_count, true_rumor_size, true_rumor_offset,
+		false_rumor_count, false_rumor_size, false_rumor_offset,
+		eof_offset);
+	/* skip the temp file's dummy header */
+	if (!fgets(in_line, sizeof in_line, tfp) ||	/* "Don't Edit" */
+	    !fgets(in_line, sizeof in_line, tfp)) {	/* count,size,offset */
+		perror(tempfile);
+		goto rumors_failure;
+	}
+	/* copy the rest of the temp file into the final output file */
+	while (fgets(in_line, sizeof in_line, tfp) != 0) {
+		(void) fputs(in_line, ofp);
+	}
+	/* all done; delete temp file */
+	Fclose(tfp);
+	Unlink(tempfile);
 	Fclose(ofp);
 	return;
+
+ rumors_failure:
+	Fclose(ofp);
+	Unlink(filename);	/* kill empty or incomplete output file */
+	Fclose(tfp);
+	Unlink(tempfile);	/* and temporary file */
+	exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
 }
 
 /*