diff --git a/source/de/anomic/kelondro/order/Base64Order.java b/source/de/anomic/kelondro/order/Base64Order.java
index c61ede8d9..755cdbfb6 100644
--- a/source/de/anomic/kelondro/order/Base64Order.java
+++ b/source/de/anomic/kelondro/order/Base64Order.java
@@ -262,6 +262,16 @@ public class Base64Order extends AbstractOrder<byte[]> implements ByteOrder, Cod
         c = c << 3;
         return c;
     }
+    
+    private final long cardinalI(final String key) {
+        // returns a cardinal number in the range of 0 .. Long.MAX_VALUE
+        long c = 0;
+        int p = 0;
+        while ((p < 10) && (p < key.length())) c = (c << 6) | ahpla[key.charAt(p++)];
+        while (p++ < 10) c = (c << 6);
+        c = c << 3;
+        return c;
+    }
 
     public final byte[] uncardinal(long c) {
         c = c >> 3;
@@ -281,6 +291,14 @@ public class Base64Order extends AbstractOrder<byte[]> implements ByteOrder, Cod
         return Long.MAX_VALUE - keyCardinal + zeroCardinal;
     }
     
+    public final long cardinal(final String key) {
+        if (this.zero == null) return cardinalI(key);
+        final long zeroCardinal = cardinalI(this.zero);
+        final long keyCardinal = cardinalI(key);
+        if (keyCardinal > zeroCardinal) return keyCardinal - zeroCardinal;
+        return Long.MAX_VALUE - keyCardinal + zeroCardinal;
+    }
+    
     private static final int sig(final int x) {
         return (x > 0) ? 1 : (x < 0) ? -1 : 0;
     }
diff --git a/source/de/anomic/yacy/dht/FlatWordPartitionScheme.java b/source/de/anomic/yacy/dht/FlatWordPartitionScheme.java
index d7c87fb55..98759eee0 100755
--- a/source/de/anomic/yacy/dht/FlatWordPartitionScheme.java
+++ b/source/de/anomic/yacy/dht/FlatWordPartitionScheme.java
@@ -43,10 +43,7 @@ public class FlatWordPartitionScheme implements PartitionScheme {
     public long dhtPosition(String wordHash, String urlHash) {
         // the urlHash has no relevance here
         // normalized to Long.MAX_VALUE
-        long c = Base64Order.enhancedCoder.cardinal(wordHash.getBytes());
-        assert c != Long.MAX_VALUE;
-        if (c == Long.MAX_VALUE) return Long.MAX_VALUE - 1;
-        return c;
+        return Base64Order.enhancedCoder.cardinal(wordHash);
     }
 
     public final long dhtDistance(final String word, final String urlHash, final yacySeed peer) {
@@ -78,8 +75,9 @@ public class FlatWordPartitionScheme implements PartitionScheme {
     }
 
     public final static long dhtDistance(final long fromPos, final long toPos) {
-        final long d = toPos - fromPos;
-        return (d >= 0) ? d : (d + Long.MAX_VALUE) + 1;
+        return (toPos >= fromPos) ?
+                toPos - fromPos :
+                (Long.MAX_VALUE - fromPos) + toPos + 1;
     }
     
     public static String positionToHash(final long l) {