diff --git a/ltablib.c b/ltablib.c
index 46ecb5e0..15c3c09f 100644
--- a/ltablib.c
+++ b/ltablib.c
@@ -42,15 +42,17 @@ static int checkfield (lua_State *L, const char *key, int n) {
 
 /*
 ** Check that 'arg' either is a table or can behave like one (that is,
-** has a metatable with the required metamethods)
+** has a metatable with the required metamethods).
 */
 static void checktab (lua_State *L, int arg, int what) {
-  if (lua_type(L, arg) != LUA_TTABLE) {  /* is it not a table? */
+  int tp = lua_type(L, arg);
+  if (tp != LUA_TTABLE) {  /* is it not a table? */
     int n = 1;  /* number of elements to pop */
     if (lua_getmetatable(L, arg) &&  /* must have metatable */
         (!(what & TAB_R) || checkfield(L, "__index", ++n)) &&
         (!(what & TAB_W) || checkfield(L, "__newindex", ++n)) &&
-        (!(what & TAB_L) || checkfield(L, "__len", ++n))) {
+        (!(what & TAB_L) ||  /* strings don't need '__len' to have a length */
+             tp == LUA_TSTRING || checkfield(L, "__len", ++n))) {
       lua_pop(L, n);  /* pop metatable and tested metamethods */
     }
     else
@@ -204,8 +206,9 @@ static int tpack (lua_State *L) {
 
 static int tunpack (lua_State *L) {
   lua_Unsigned n;
+  lua_Integer len = aux_getn(L, 1, TAB_R);
   lua_Integer i = luaL_optinteger(L, 2, 1);
-  lua_Integer e = luaL_opt(L, luaL_checkinteger, 3, luaL_len(L, 1));
+  lua_Integer e = luaL_opt(L, luaL_checkinteger, 3, len);
   if (i > e) return 0;  /* empty range */
   n = l_castS2U(e) - l_castS2U(i);  /* number of elements minus 1 */
   if (l_unlikely(n >= (unsigned int)INT_MAX  ||
diff --git a/testes/sort.lua b/testes/sort.lua
index b0127660..92aaca3c 100644
--- a/testes/sort.lua
+++ b/testes/sort.lua
@@ -72,6 +72,19 @@ assert(a==1 and x==nil)
 a,x = unpack({1,2}, 1, 1)
 assert(a==1 and x==nil)
 
+
+do  -- unpack with non-tables
+  local debug = require"debug"
+  local oldmt = debug.getmetatable(0)
+  local str = "hello"
+  debug.setmetatable(0,
+               { __len = function () return #str end,
+                 __index = function (_, i) return string.sub(str, i, i) end})
+  assert(table.concat({table.unpack(0)}) == str)
+  debug.setmetatable(0, oldmt)   -- restore original metatable for numbers
+end
+
+
 do
   local maxi = (1 << 31) - 1          -- maximum value for an int (usually)
   local mini = -(1 << 31)             -- minimum value for an int (usually)