Weird character representation in console

[v.demartino2 at virgilio.it]

After years of linux distributions now I'm having a go at FreeBDS.
Therefore, as a perfect newbye in FreeBSD I have just installed the developer
stuff with x support and the ports of version 5.3.
After having compiled the Midnight Commander mc from the ports' sources
I noticed that running mc the various "rectangles" framing the tree structures
of the filesystem are not correctly displayed and built with a combination
of '-' and '|' but with a weird combination of 'ç' and 'ù'. 

What should I do straighten things up (I admit, I have been manipulating
the fonts without knowing what I was doing!!)?

A step by step explamnation would be highly appreciated.

Ciao
Vittorio

Ciao
Vittorio