An apparatus for receiving and storing an incoming sequence and for forwarding the bytes of the incoming sequence as an outgoing sequence in a different byte order includes a cache memory and a main memory for storing bytes of the incoming sequence until they can be forwarded as bytes of the outgoing sequence. A control circuit selectively burst mode writes sequences of incoming bytes that need be stored for a relatively long time to blocks of sequential addresses of the main memory, writes individual bytes of the incoming sequence that need be stored for a relatively short time to selected addresses of the cache memory, and reads bytes out of the cache memory and the main memory when needed to form the outgoing sequence.