Index: src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterFieldMergeState.java
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterFieldMergeState.java	(revision 639536)
+++ src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterFieldMergeState.java	(working copy)
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
   private Posting p;
   char[] text;
   int textOffset;
+  int textLen;
 
   private int postingUpto = -1;
 
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@
 
     text = field.threadState.charPool.buffers[p.textStart >> DocumentsWriter.CHAR_BLOCK_SHIFT];
     textOffset = p.textStart & DocumentsWriter.CHAR_BLOCK_MASK;
+    textLen = p.textLen;
 
     if (p.freqUpto > p.freqStart)
       freq.init(field.threadState.postingsPool, p.freqStart, p.freqUpto);
Index: src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterFieldData.java
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterFieldData.java	(revision 639536)
+++ src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterFieldData.java	(working copy)
@@ -460,6 +460,7 @@
         p = threadState.postingsFreeList[--threadState.postingsFreeCount];
 
         p.textStart = textUpto + threadState.charPool.byteOffset;
+        p.textLen = tokenTextLen;
         threadState.charPool.byteUpto += textLen1;
 
         System.arraycopy(tokenText, 0, text, textUpto, tokenTextLen);
@@ -657,9 +658,7 @@
       if (p0 != null) {
         final int start = p0.textStart & DocumentsWriter.CHAR_BLOCK_MASK;
         final char[] text = threadState.charPool.buffers[p0.textStart >> DocumentsWriter.CHAR_BLOCK_SHIFT];
-        int pos = start;
-        while(text[pos] != 0xffff)
-          pos++;
+        int pos = start+p0.textLen;
         int code = 0;
         while (pos > start)
           code = (code*31) + text[--pos];
Index: src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/Posting.java
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/Posting.java	(revision 639536)
+++ src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/Posting.java	(working copy)
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
  * last flush. */
 final class Posting {
   int textStart;                                  // Address into char[] blocks where our text is stored
+  int textLen;                                    // text length
   int docFreq;                                    // # times this term occurs in the current doc
   int freqStart;                                  // Address of first byte[] slice for freq
   int freqUpto;                                   // Next write address for freq
Index: src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterThreadState.java
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterThreadState.java	(revision 639536)
+++ src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriterThreadState.java	(working copy)
@@ -670,23 +670,24 @@
       return 0;
     final char[] text1 = charPool.buffers[p1.textStart >> DocumentsWriter.CHAR_BLOCK_SHIFT];
     int pos1 = p1.textStart & DocumentsWriter.CHAR_BLOCK_MASK;
+    int len1 = p1.textLen;
     final char[] text2 = charPool.buffers[p2.textStart >> DocumentsWriter.CHAR_BLOCK_SHIFT];
     int pos2 = p2.textStart & DocumentsWriter.CHAR_BLOCK_MASK;
+    int len2 = p2.textLen;
+    
+    int scanpos=0;
+    boolean samelength = (len1==len2) ? true:false;
     while(true) {
       final char c1 = text1[pos1++];
       final char c2 = text2[pos2++];
-      if (c1 < c2)
-        if (0xffff == c2)
-          return 1;
+      if (c1 < c2) return -1;
+      else if (c2 < c1) return 1;
+      scanpos++;
+      if (len1==scanpos || len2==scanpos)
+        if(samelength)
+          return 0;
         else
-          return -1;
-      else if (c2 < c1)
-        if (0xffff == c1)
-          return -1;
-        else
-          return 1;
-      else if (0xffff == c1)
-        return 0;
+          return len1<len2 ? -1 : 1;
     }
   }
 
Index: src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriter.java
===================================================================
--- src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriter.java	(revision 639536)
+++ src/java/org/apache/lucene/index/DocumentsWriter.java	(working copy)
@@ -750,22 +750,20 @@
     return segment + "." + extension;
   }
 
-  static int compareText(final char[] text1, int pos1, final char[] text2, int pos2) {
+  static int compareText(final char[] text1, int pos1, int len1, final char[] text2, int pos2, int len2) {
+    int scanpos=0;
+    boolean samelength = (len1==len2) ? true:false;
     while(true) {
       final char c1 = text1[pos1++];
       final char c2 = text2[pos2++];
-      if (c1 < c2)
-        if (0xffff == c2)
-          return 1;
+      if (c1 < c2) return -1;
+      else if (c2 < c1) return 1;
+      scanpos++;
+      if (len1==scanpos || len2==scanpos)
+        if(samelength)
+          return 0;
         else
-          return -1;
-      else if (c2 < c1)
-        if (0xffff == c1)
-          return -1;
-        else
-          return 1;
-      else if (0xffff == c1)
-        return 0;
+          return len1<len2 ? -1 : 1;
     }
   }
 
@@ -811,7 +809,8 @@
       for(int i=1;i<numFields;i++) {
         final char[] text = mergeStates[i].text;
         final int textOffset = mergeStates[i].textOffset;
-        final int cmp = compareText(text, textOffset, termStates[0].text, termStates[0].textOffset);
+        final int textLen = mergeStates[i].textLen;
+        final int cmp = compareText(text, textOffset, textLen, termStates[0].text, termStates[0].textOffset, termStates[0].textLen);
 
         if (cmp < 0) {
           termStates[0] = mergeStates[i];
@@ -827,9 +826,8 @@
 
       final char[] text = termStates[0].text;
       final int start = termStates[0].textOffset;
-      int pos = start;
-      while(text[pos] != 0xffff)
-        pos++;
+      final int textLen = termStates[0].textLen;
+      int pos = start+textLen;
 
       long freqPointer = freqOut.getFilePointer();
       long proxPointer = proxOut.getFilePointer();