diff --git a/nxscript.c b/nxscript.c
index 1857b78e..1e1bd1a3 100644
--- a/nxscript.c
+++ b/nxscript.c
@@ -668,6 +668,7 @@ static int listToArray(SicsInterp *pSics, char *list,
     return TCL_OK;
 }
 /*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+#define HANUM 3
 static void putSlab(SConnection *pCon, SicsInterp *pSics, pNXScript self,
  int argc, char *argv[]){
     int start[NX_MAXRANK], size[NX_MAXRANK];
@@ -675,6 +676,9 @@ static void putSlab(SConnection *pCon, SicsInterp *pSics, pNXScript self,
     pHistMem mem = NULL;
     HistInt *histData = NULL;
     pSICSData data = NULL;
+    char buffer[256];
+    enum histargs {haStart, haLength, haBank};
+    int i, haIndex, hpars[HANUM], haFirst=6;
     
     if(argc < 6){
         SCWrite(pCon,"ERROR: insufficient number of arguments to putslab",
@@ -705,7 +709,29 @@ static void putSlab(SConnection *pCon, SicsInterp *pSics, pNXScript self,
      */
     mem = (pHistMem)FindCommandData(pSics,argv[5],"HistMem");
     if(mem != NULL){
+      if (argc == 6) {
         histData = GetHistogramPointer(mem,pCon);
+      } else if (argc > 6) {
+        for (i=0, haIndex=haFirst; i < HANUM; i++, haIndex++) {
+          status = Tcl_GetInt(InterpGetTcl(pSics),argv[haIndex],&hpars[i]);
+          if(status != TCL_OK){
+            sprintf(buffer,"ERROR: failed to convert %s to integer",
+                argv[haIndex]);
+            SCWrite(pCon,buffer,eError);
+            return;
+          }
+        }
+        histData = (HistInt *)malloc(hpars[haLength]*sizeof(HistInt));
+        if(!histData){
+          SCWrite(pCon,"ERROR: out of memory for reading histogram memory",
+              eError);
+          return;
+        }
+        memset(histData,0,hpars[haLength]*sizeof(HistInt));
+        status = GetHistogramDirect(mem,pCon,hpars[haBank],
+            hpars[haStart],hpars[haStart]+hpars[haLength],histData,
+            hpars[haLength]*sizeof(HistInt));
+      }
         if(histData){
             status = NXputslab(self->fileHandle, histData, start, size);
             if(status == NX_OK){