bfd_vma offset;
          bfd_byte *eline;
          bfd_byte *elineend;
+         bfd_byte *oeline;
+         boolean skipping;
 
          /* FIXME: If SEC_HAS_CONTENTS is not for the section, then
             build_link_order in ldwrite.c will not have created a
 
          offset = o->output_section->vma + o->output_offset - o->vma;
          eline = finfo->linenos;
+         oeline = finfo->linenos;
          elineend = eline + linesz * o->lineno_count;
+         skipping = false;
          for (; eline < elineend; eline += linesz)
            {
              struct internal_lineno iline;
                  if (indx < 0)
                    {
                      /* These line numbers are attached to a symbol
-                        which we are stripping.  We should really
-                        just discard the line numbers, but that would
-                        be a pain because we have already counted
-                        them.  */
-                     indx = 0;
+                        which we are stripping.  We must discard the
+                        line numbers because reading them back with
+                        no associated symbol (or associating them all
+                        with symbol #0) will fail.  We can't regain
+                        the space in the output file, but at least
+                        they're dense.  */
+                     skipping = true;
                    }
                  else
                    {
                                                 is.n_type, is.n_sclass, 0,
                                                 is.n_numaux, auxptr);
                        }
+
+                       skipping = false;
                    }
 
                  iline.l_addr.l_symndx = indx;
                }
 
-             bfd_coff_swap_lineno_out (output_bfd, (PTR) &iline, (PTR) eline);
+             if (!skipping)
+               {
+                 bfd_coff_swap_lineno_out (output_bfd, (PTR) &iline,
+                                           (PTR) oeline);
+                 oeline += linesz;
+               }
            }
 
          if (bfd_seek (output_bfd,
                        (o->output_section->line_filepos
                         + o->output_section->lineno_count * linesz),
                        SEEK_SET) != 0
-             || bfd_write (finfo->linenos, linesz, o->lineno_count,
-                           output_bfd) != linesz * o->lineno_count)
+             || (bfd_write (finfo->linenos, 1, oeline - finfo->linenos,
+                            output_bfd)
+                 != (bfd_size_type) (oeline - finfo->linenos)))
            return false;
 
-         o->output_section->lineno_count += o->lineno_count;
+         o->output_section->lineno_count +=
+           (oeline - finfo->linenos) / linesz;
        }
     }