diff --git a/gas/ChangeLog b/gas/ChangeLog
index 4dd9d85cec..8b74eb28a8 100644
--- a/gas/ChangeLog
+++ b/gas/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+1998-12-29  Gavin Romig-Koch  <gavin@cygnus.com>
+
+	* config/tc-mips.c (md_begin): Another correction to the setting of
+	mips_eabi64.
+
 1998-12-23  Gavin Romig-Koch  <gavin@cygnus.com>
 
 	* config/tc-mips.c (md_begin): Correct type-o in setting of mips_eabi64.
diff --git a/gas/config/tc-mips.c b/gas/config/tc-mips.c
index 797b365330..a2e1afe3c4 100644
--- a/gas/config/tc-mips.c
+++ b/gas/config/tc-mips.c
@@ -1110,7 +1110,9 @@ md_begin ()
   /* Set the EABI kind based on the ISA before the user gets
      to change the ISA with directives.  This isn't really
      the best, but then neither is basing the abi on the isa. */     
-  if (mips_opts.isa > 2 && 0 == strcmp (mips_abi_string,"eabi"))
+  if (mips_opts.isa > 2 
+      && mips_abi_string
+      && 0 == strcmp (mips_abi_string,"eabi"))
     mips_eabi64 = 1;
 
   if (mips_cpu != 0 && mips_cpu != -1)