diff --git a/src/pkg/big/int.go b/src/pkg/big/int.go
index 46e0087343..ecd70e03ef 100755
--- a/src/pkg/big/int.go
+++ b/src/pkg/big/int.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ package big
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"rand"
 )
 
@@ -393,62 +394,19 @@ func (z *Int) SetString(s string, base int) (*Int, bool) {
 }
 
 
-// SetBytes interprets b as the bytes of a big-endian, unsigned integer and
-// sets z to that value.
-func (z *Int) SetBytes(b []byte) *Int {
-	const s = _S
-	z.abs = z.abs.make((len(b) + s - 1) / s)
-
-	j := 0
-	for len(b) >= s {
-		var w Word
-
-		for i := s; i > 0; i-- {
-			w <<= 8
-			w |= Word(b[len(b)-i])
-		}
-
-		z.abs[j] = w
-		j++
-		b = b[0 : len(b)-s]
-	}
-
-	if len(b) > 0 {
-		var w Word
-
-		for i := len(b); i > 0; i-- {
-			w <<= 8
-			w |= Word(b[len(b)-i])
-		}
-
-		z.abs[j] = w
-	}
-
-	z.abs = z.abs.norm()
+// SetBytes interprets buf as the bytes of a big-endian unsigned
+// integer, sets z to that value, and returns z.
+func (z *Int) SetBytes(buf []byte) *Int {
+	z.abs = z.abs.setBytes(buf)
 	z.neg = false
 	return z
 }
 
 
-// Bytes returns the absolute value of x as a big-endian byte array.
+// Bytes returns the absolute value of z as a big-endian byte slice.
 func (z *Int) Bytes() []byte {
-	const s = _S
-	b := make([]byte, len(z.abs)*s)
-
-	for i, w := range z.abs {
-		wordBytes := b[(len(z.abs)-i-1)*s : (len(z.abs)-i)*s]
-		for j := s - 1; j >= 0; j-- {
-			wordBytes[j] = byte(w)
-			w >>= 8
-		}
-	}
-
-	i := 0
-	for i < len(b) && b[i] == 0 {
-		i++
-	}
-
-	return b[i:]
+	buf := make([]byte, len(z.abs)*_S)
+	return buf[z.abs.bytes(buf):]
 }
 
 
@@ -739,3 +697,34 @@ func (z *Int) Not(x *Int) *Int {
 	z.neg = true // z cannot be zero if x is positive
 	return z
 }
+
+
+// Gob codec version. Permits backward-compatible changes to the encoding.
+const version byte = 1
+
+// GobEncode implements the gob.GobEncoder interface.
+func (z *Int) GobEncode() ([]byte, os.Error) {
+	buf := make([]byte, len(z.abs)*_S+1) // extra byte for version and sign bit
+	i := z.abs.bytes(buf) - 1            // i >= 0
+	b := version << 1                    // make space for sign bit
+	if z.neg {
+		b |= 1
+	}
+	buf[i] = b
+	return buf[i:], nil
+}
+
+
+// GobDecode implements the gob.GobDecoder interface.
+func (z *Int) GobDecode(buf []byte) os.Error {
+	if len(buf) == 0 {
+		return os.NewError("Int.GobDecode: no data")
+	}
+	b := buf[0]
+	if b>>1 != version {
+		return os.NewError(fmt.Sprintf("Int.GobDecode: encoding version %d not supported", b>>1))
+	}
+	z.neg = b&1 != 0
+	z.abs = z.abs.setBytes(buf[1:])
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/src/pkg/big/int_test.go b/src/pkg/big/int_test.go
index fc981e1da4..c0cc9accf1 100755
--- a/src/pkg/big/int_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/big/int_test.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
+	"gob"
 	"testing"
 	"testing/quick"
 )
@@ -1053,3 +1054,41 @@ func TestModInverse(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+
+var gobEncodingTests = []string{
+	"0",
+	"1",
+	"2",
+	"10",
+	"42",
+	"1234567890",
+	"298472983472983471903246121093472394872319615612417471234712061",
+}
+
+func TestGobEncoding(t *testing.T) {
+	var medium bytes.Buffer
+	enc := gob.NewEncoder(&medium)
+	dec := gob.NewDecoder(&medium)
+	for i, test := range gobEncodingTests {
+		for j := 0; j < 2; j++ {
+			medium.Reset() // empty buffer for each test case (in case of failures)
+			stest := test
+			if j == 0 {
+				stest = "-" + test
+			}
+			var tx Int
+			tx.SetString(stest, 10)
+			if err := enc.Encode(&tx); err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("#%d%c: encoding failed: %s", i, 'a'+j, err)
+			}
+			var rx Int
+			if err := dec.Decode(&rx); err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("#%d%c: decoding failed: %s", i, 'a'+j, err)
+			}
+			if rx.Cmp(&tx) != 0 {
+				t.Errorf("#%d%c: transmission failed: got %s want %s", i, 'a'+j, &rx, &tx)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/pkg/big/nat.go b/src/pkg/big/nat.go
index a308f69e8c..a04d3b1d9c 100755
--- a/src/pkg/big/nat.go
+++ b/src/pkg/big/nat.go
@@ -1065,3 +1065,50 @@ NextRandom:
 
 	return true
 }
+
+
+// bytes writes the value of z into buf using big-endian encoding.
+// len(buf) must be >= len(z)*_S. The value of z is encoded in the
+// slice buf[i:]. The number i of unused bytes at the beginning of
+// buf is returned as result.
+func (z nat) bytes(buf []byte) (i int) {
+	i = len(buf)
+	for _, d := range z {
+		for j := 0; j < _S; j++ {
+			i--
+			buf[i] = byte(d)
+			d >>= 8
+		}
+	}
+
+	for i < len(buf) && buf[i] == 0 {
+		i++
+	}
+
+	return
+}
+
+
+// setBytes interprets buf as the bytes of a big-endian unsigned
+// integer, sets z to that value, and returns z.
+func (z nat) setBytes(buf []byte) nat {
+	z = z.make((len(buf) + _S - 1) / _S)
+
+	k := 0
+	s := uint(0)
+	var d Word
+	for i := len(buf); i > 0; i-- {
+		d |= Word(buf[i-1]) << s
+		if s += 8; s == _S*8 {
+			z[k] = d
+			k++
+			s = 0
+			d = 0
+		}
+	}
+	if k < len(z) {
+		z[k] = d
+	}
+
+	return z.norm()
+}