Index: lucene/test-framework/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/fst/FSTTester.java
===================================================================
--- lucene/test-framework/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/fst/FSTTester.java	(revision 1431554)
+++ lucene/test-framework/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/fst/FSTTester.java	(working copy)
@@ -289,6 +289,13 @@
                                               null,
                                               willRewrite,
                                               true);
+    if (LuceneTestCase.VERBOSE) {
+      if (willRewrite) {
+        System.out.println("TEST: packed FST");
+      } else {
+        System.out.println("TEST: non-packed FST");
+      }
+    }
 
     for(InputOutput<T> pair : pairs) {
       if (pair.output instanceof List) {
Index: lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/fst/FST.java
===================================================================
--- lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/fst/FST.java	(revision 1431554)
+++ lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/fst/FST.java	(working copy)
@@ -656,7 +656,7 @@
       if (targetHasArcs && (flags & BIT_TARGET_NEXT) == 0) {
         assert target.node > 0;
         //System.out.println("    write target");
-        writer.writeInt(target.node);
+        writer.writeVInt(target.node);
       }
 
       // just write the arcs "like normal" on first pass,
@@ -805,11 +805,9 @@
           if (arc.flag(BIT_STOP_NODE)) {
           } else if (arc.flag(BIT_TARGET_NEXT)) {
           } else {
-            if (packed) {
-              in.readVInt();
-            } else {
-              in.skip(4);
-            }
+            // nocommit this is a BW break?  how come we
+            // don't see fails from TestBackCompat!?
+            in.readVInt();
           }
           arc.flags = in.readByte();
         }
@@ -921,8 +919,10 @@
       int pos = in.pos = getNodeAddress(arc.nextArc);
       final byte b = in.readByte();
       if (b == ARCS_AS_FIXED_ARRAY) {
-        //System.out.println("    nextArc fake array");
+        //System.out.println("    nextArc fixed array");
         in.readVInt();
+
+        // Skip bytesPerArc:
         if (packed) {
           in.readVInt();
         } else {
@@ -1024,7 +1024,7 @@
           //System.out.println("    abs code=" + code + " derefLen=" + nodeRefToAddress.length);
         }
       } else {
-        arc.target = in.readInt();
+        arc.target = in.readVInt();
       }
       arc.nextArc = in.pos;
     }
@@ -1144,11 +1144,7 @@
       }
 
       if (!flag(flags, BIT_STOP_NODE) && !flag(flags, BIT_TARGET_NEXT)) {
-        if (packed) {
-          in.readVInt();
-        } else {
-          in.readInt();
-        }
+        in.readVInt();
       }
 
       if (flag(flags, BIT_LAST_ARC)) {