diff --git a/hbase-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/OrderedBytes.java b/hbase-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/OrderedBytes.java
index 82f8f815c99..7e86428d2e6 100644
--- a/hbase-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/OrderedBytes.java
+++ b/hbase-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/OrderedBytes.java
@@ -1109,6 +1109,9 @@ public class OrderedBytes {
       if (s == 7) {
         ret.put((byte) (t | (ord.apply(a[offset + i]) & 0x7f)));
         i++;
+               // explicitly reset t -- clean up overflow buffer after decoding
+               // a full cycle and retain assertion condition below. This happens
+        t = 0; // when the LSB in the last encoded byte is 1. (HBASE-9893)
       } else {
         ret.put((byte) (t | ((ord.apply(a[offset + i]) & 0x7f) >>> s)));
       }
diff --git a/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/TestOrderedBytes.java b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/TestOrderedBytes.java
index 1050e88135d..aef24be3403 100644
--- a/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/TestOrderedBytes.java
+++ b/hbase-common/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/util/TestOrderedBytes.java
@@ -871,10 +871,20 @@ public class TestOrderedBytes {
   public void testBlobVar() {
     byte[][] vals =
         { "".getBytes(), "foo".getBytes(), "foobarbazbub".getBytes(),
+          { (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa,
+            (byte) 0xaa, /* 7 bytes of alternating bits; testing around HBASE-9893 */ },
           { (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa,
             (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa },
+          { (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa,
+            (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa,
+            (byte) 0xaa, (byte) 0xaa, /* 14 bytes of alternating bits; testing around HBASE-9893 */ },
+          { (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55,
+            (byte) 0x55, /* 7 bytes of alternating bits; testing around HBASE-9893 */ },
           { (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55,
             (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55 },
+          { (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55,
+            (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55,
+            (byte) 0x55, (byte) 0x55, /* 14 bytes of alternating bits; testing around HBASE-9893 */ },
           "1".getBytes(), "22".getBytes(), "333".getBytes(), "4444".getBytes(),
           "55555".getBytes(), "666666".getBytes(), "7777777".getBytes(), "88888888".getBytes()
         };