diff --git a/src/bones.c b/src/bones.c
index 07a0670ba..587c58afc 100644
--- a/src/bones.c
+++ b/src/bones.c
@@ -598,7 +598,8 @@ getbones(void)
 {
     int ok;
     NHFILE *nhfp = (NHFILE *) 0;
-    char c = 0, *bonesid, oldbonesid[40]; /* was [10]; more should be safer */
+    char c = 0, *bonesid,
+         oldbonesid[40] = { 0 }; /* was [10]; more should be safer */
 
     if (discover) /* save bones files for real games */
         return 0;
@@ -640,8 +641,18 @@ getbones(void)
                string and wasn't recorded in the file */
             mread(nhfp->fd, (genericptr_t) &c,
                   sizeof c); /* length including terminating '\0' */
-            mread(nhfp->fd, (genericptr_t) oldbonesid,
-                  (unsigned) c); /* DD.nn or Qrrr.n for role rrr */
+            if ((unsigned) c <= sizeof oldbonesid) {
+                mread(nhfp->fd, (genericptr_t) oldbonesid,
+                      (unsigned) c); /* DD.nn or Qrrr.n for role rrr */
+            } else {
+                if (wizard)
+                    debugpline2("Abandoning bones , %u > %u.",
+                                (unsigned) c, (unsigned) sizeof oldbonesid);
+                close_nhfile(nhfp);
+                compress_bonesfile();
+                /* ToDo: maybe unlink these problematic bones? */
+                return 0;
+            }
         }
         if (strcmp(bonesid, oldbonesid) != 0) {
             char errbuf[BUFSZ];