--- /dev/null
+--- builtin.c-old Thu Mar 14 22:11:35 2002
++++ builtin.c Thu Mar 14 22:11:54 2002
+@@ -2277,8 +2277,7 @@
+ short val;
+ char *start = str;
+
+- if (*str == '0' && (str[1] == 'x' || str[1] == 'X')) {
+- assert(len > 2);
++ if (*str == '0' && (str[1] == 'x' || str[1] == 'X') && len > 2) {
+
+ for (str += 2, len -= 2; len > 0; len--, str++) {
+ switch (*str) {