diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 700832c0..8078c058 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 	* src/browser.c (do_browser): Plug a memory leak by not copying
 	a string twice.  This fixes Savannah bug #47206.
 	* src/browser.c (do_browser): Now put things in the proper order.
+	* src/files.c (make_new_buffer), src/nano.c (splice_opennode): Elide
+	the latter function, by handling the two cases (the creation of the
+	first element, and the insertion of a new element) directly.
 
 2016-02-23  Benno Schulenberg  <bensberg@justemail.net>
 	* src/prompt.c (do_statusbar_output, do_statusbar_delete):
diff --git a/src/files.c b/src/files.c
index b5a177f0..0b226f68 100644
--- a/src/files.c
+++ b/src/files.c
@@ -71,17 +71,25 @@ bool has_valid_path(const char *filename)
  * called from open_buffer(). */
 void make_new_buffer(void)
 {
-    /* If there are no entries in openfile, make the first one and
-     * move to it. */
     if (openfile == NULL) {
 	openfile = make_new_opennode();
-	splice_opennode(openfile, openfile, openfile);
-    /* Otherwise, make a new entry for openfile, splice it in after
-     * the current entry, and move to it. */
+
+	/* Make the first open file the only element in a circular list. */
+	openfile->prev = openfile;
+	openfile->next = openfile;
     } else {
-	splice_opennode(openfile, make_new_opennode(), openfile->next);
-	openfile = openfile->next;
-	/* More than one file open, show Close in help lines. */
+	openfilestruct *newnode = make_new_opennode();
+
+	/* Add the new open file after the current one in the list. */
+	newnode->prev = openfile;
+	newnode->next = openfile->next;
+	openfile->next->prev = newnode;
+	openfile->next = newnode;
+
+	/* Make the new file the current one. */
+	openfile = newnode;
+
+	/* There is more than one file open: show Close in help lines. */
 	exitfunc->desc = close_tag;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/nano.c b/src/nano.c
index a5236a73..708e5894 100644
--- a/src/nano.c
+++ b/src/nano.c
@@ -525,20 +525,6 @@ openfilestruct *make_new_opennode(void)
     return (openfilestruct *)nmalloc(sizeof(openfilestruct));
 }
 
-/* Splice a node into an existing openfilestruct. */
-void splice_opennode(openfilestruct *begin, openfilestruct *newnode,
-	openfilestruct *end)
-{
-    assert(newnode != NULL && begin != NULL);
-
-    newnode->next = end;
-    newnode->prev = begin;
-    begin->next = newnode;
-
-    if (end != NULL)
-	end->prev = newnode;
-}
-
 /* Unlink a node from the rest of the openfilestruct, and delete it. */
 void unlink_opennode(openfilestruct *fileptr)
 {
diff --git a/src/proto.h b/src/proto.h
index 48b60518..e370f551 100644
--- a/src/proto.h
+++ b/src/proto.h
@@ -447,8 +447,6 @@ void move_to_filestruct(filestruct **file_top, filestruct **file_bot,
 	filestruct *top, size_t top_x, filestruct *bot, size_t bot_x);
 void copy_from_filestruct(filestruct *somebuffer);
 openfilestruct *make_new_opennode(void);
-void splice_opennode(openfilestruct *begin, openfilestruct *newnode,
-	openfilestruct *end);
 void unlink_opennode(openfilestruct *fileptr);
 void delete_opennode(openfilestruct *fileptr);
 void print_view_warning(void);