diff --git a/include/osgText/Text b/include/osgText/Text
index 67d861461..91ee4a895 100644
--- a/include/osgText/Text
+++ b/include/osgText/Text
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ public:
         osg::buffered_object<Coords3>   _transformedBackdropCoords[8];
         ColorCoords    _colorCoords;
 
-        osg::ref_ptr<osg::DrawElementsUInt> _quadIndices;
+        osg::ref_ptr<osg::DrawElementsUShort> _quadIndices;
         void updateQuadIndices();
 
         GlyphQuads();
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ public:
 
         LineNumbers& getLineNumbers() { return _lineNumbers; }
         const LineNumbers& getLineNumbers() const { return _lineNumbers; }
-        
+
         /** Resize any per context GLObject buffers to specified size. */
         void resizeGLObjectBuffers(unsigned int maxSize);
 
@@ -344,9 +344,9 @@ public:
         * the specified graphics context. Otherwise, releases OpenGL objexts
         * for all graphics contexts. */
         void releaseGLObjects(osg::State* state=0) const;
-        
+
     private:
-        
+
         GlyphQuads& operator = (const GlyphQuads&) { return *this; }
     };
 
diff --git a/src/osgText/Text.cpp b/src/osgText/Text.cpp
index 68ac0b837..73a88c28b 100644
--- a/src/osgText/Text.cpp
+++ b/src/osgText/Text.cpp
@@ -2091,7 +2091,7 @@ void Text::GlyphQuads::initGlyphQuads()
         }
     }
 
-    _quadIndices = new DrawElementsUInt(PrimitiveSet::TRIANGLES);
+    _quadIndices = new DrawElementsUShort(PrimitiveSet::TRIANGLES);
 }
 
 void Text::GlyphQuads::updateQuadIndices()
@@ -2102,7 +2102,7 @@ void Text::GlyphQuads::updateQuadIndices()
         OSG_WARN << "size of _coords is not divisible by 4.";
     }
     
-    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < (unsigned int)_coords->size(); i += 4)
+    for (unsigned short i = 0; i < (unsigned short)_coords->size(); i += 4)
     {
         _quadIndices->push_back(i);
         _quadIndices->push_back(i + 1);