diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 5ef5431..3219f85 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ test-pre-clean:
 aggregate-results: $(TESTS)
 
 $(TESTS): test-pre-clean
-	-cd tests && sh $(notdir $@) $(TEST_OPTIONS)
+	-cd tests && ./$(notdir $@) $(TEST_OPTIONS)
 
 test: aggregate-results
 	tests/aggregate-results.sh tests/test-results/t*-*
diff --git a/tests/t1340-listescapes.sh b/tests/t1340-listescapes.sh
index e0682c3..075b9ec 100755
--- a/tests/t1340-listescapes.sh
+++ b/tests/t1340-listescapes.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/bin/bash
 #
 
 test_description='list with escape sequences
@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ This test checks listing of tasks that have embedded escape sequences in them.
 '
 . ./test-lib.sh
 
-# Note: The quadrupled escaped backslashes (even 8-fold for the escape color
-# code) in the expected output are necessary due to (superfluous?!)
-# interpretation of the expected output in the test library itself.
-
 #
 # check aborted list output on \c escape sequence
 #
@@ -23,13 +19,13 @@ EOF
 test_todo_session 'aborted list output on backslash-c' <<'EOF'
 >>> todo.sh ls
 1 first todo
-2 second todo run C:\\\\WINDOWS\\\\sysnative\\\\cscript.exe
+2 second todo run C:\WINDOWS\sysnative\cscript.exe
 3 third todo
 --
 TODO: 3 of 3 tasks shown
 
 >>> todo.sh ls 2
-2 second todo run C:\\\\WINDOWS\\\\sysnative\\\\cscript.exe
+2 second todo run C:\WINDOWS\sysnative\cscript.exe
 --
 TODO: 1 of 3 tasks shown
 EOF
@@ -45,9 +41,9 @@ EOF
 
 test_todo_session 'various escape sequences' <<'EOF'
 >>> todo.sh ls
-1 first todo with \\\\\\\\, \\\\a and \\\\t
-2 second todo with \\\\r\\\\n line break
-3 third todo with \\\\x42\\\\x55\\\\x47 and \\\\\\\\033[0;31m color codes \\\\\\\\033[0;30m
+1 first todo with \\, \a and \t
+2 second todo with \r\n line break
+3 third todo with \x42\x55\x47 and \033[0;31m color codes \033[0;30m
 --
 TODO: 3 of 3 tasks shown
 EOF
diff --git a/tests/test-lib.sh b/tests/test-lib.sh
index efe8960..c4f3ff5 100644
--- a/tests/test-lib.sh
+++ b/tests/test-lib.sh
@@ -527,7 +527,7 @@ test_todo_session () {
     cmd=""
     status=0
     > expect
-    while read line
+    while read -r line
     do
 	case $line in
 	">>> "*)
@@ -552,7 +552,7 @@ test_todo_session () {
 	    fi
 	    ;;
 	*)
-	    echo $line >> expect
+	    echo "$line" >> expect
 	    ;;
 	esac
     done