Strange paste, string or package problem?

Hi

I came across this strange bug the other day, I'm not sure how to solve it
and I wonder if anyone can even replicate it.

Using OS Ubuntu 7.10

Step 1) Make an R package using the package.skeleton() command with
only these two functions:

error <- function(){
  cmd <- paste(" -a ",1," -a ",1," -a ",1,
               " -a ",1," -a ",1," -a ",1,
               " -a ",1," -a ",1," -a ",1,
               " -a ",1," -a ",1," -a ",1,
               " ?a ",1,sep="")
  cat(cmd,"\n")
}
noerror <- function(){
  cmd <- paste(" -a ",1," -a ",1," -a ",1,
               " -a ",1," -a ",1," -a ",1,
               " -a ",1," -a ",1," -a ",1,
               " -a ",1," -a ",1," -a ",1,sep="")
  cat(cmd,"\n")
}

Step 2) Start R again. Load the package with library() and run the commands:
error()
noerror()

I get the following output:

library(errors)

error()

-a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 <e2><80><93>a 1

noerror()

-a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1 -a 1

Now why does that "<e2><80><93>" replace one of the "-" in the first command?

Any ideas?

Cheers

Tom

Thomas Allen
Department of Biochemistry
University of Otago
email1: hedbag at gmail.com
email2: allth025 at student.otago.ac.nz
Work: (+64)3 479 5123
Mobile: 027 321 4269