}

  /**
   * Wrapper for {@link Map#get(Object)} that forces the caller to pass in a key of the same type as
   * the map. Besides being slightly shorter than code that uses {@link #getMap()}, it also ensures
   * that callers don't pass an {@link Entry} by mistake.
   */
  protected V get(K key) {
    return getMap().get(key);
  }

  protected final K k0() {

   * compares, using {@link #compare(byte, byte)}), the first pair of values that follow any common
   * prefix, or when one array is a prefix of the other, treats the shorter array as the lesser. For
   * example, {@code [] < [0x01] < [0x01, 0x80] < [0x01, 0x7F] < [0x02]}. Values are treated as
   * signed.
   *

  }

  /**
   * Wrapper for {@link Map#get(Object)} that forces the caller to pass in a key of the same type as
   * the map. Besides being slightly shorter than code that uses {@link #getMap()}, it also ensures
   * that callers don't pass an {@link Entry} by mistake.
   */
  protected V get(K key) {
    return getMap().get(key);
  }

  protected final K k0() {

   * compares, using {@link #compare(boolean, boolean)}), the first pair of values that follow any
   * common prefix, or when one array is a prefix of the other, treats the shorter array as the
   * lesser. For example, {@code [] < [false] < [false, true] < [true]}.
   *
   * <p>The returned comparator is inconsistent with {@link Object#equals(Object)} (since arrays

   * compares, using {@link #compare(boolean, boolean)}), the first pair of values that follow any
   * common prefix, or when one array is a prefix of the other, treats the shorter array as the
   * lesser. For example, {@code [] < [false] < [false, true] < [true]}.
   *
   * <p>The returned comparator is inconsistent with {@link Object#equals(Object)} (since arrays

   * compares, using {@link #compare(int, int)}), the first pair of values that follow any common
   * prefix, or when one array is a prefix of the other, treats the shorter array as the lesser. For
   * example, {@code [] < [1] < [1, 2] < [2] < [1 << 31]}.
   *
   * <p>The returned comparator is inconsistent with {@link Object#equals(Object)} (since arrays

   * compares, using {@link #compare(int, int)}), the first pair of values that follow any common
   * prefix, or when one array is a prefix of the other, treats the shorter array as the lesser. For
   * example, {@code [] < [1] < [1, 2] < [2] < [1 << 31]}.
   *
   * <p>The returned comparator is inconsistent with {@link Object#equals(Object)} (since arrays

 *       SHORT is always discriminable from zero time, and always allows enough time for the small
 *       amounts of computation (creating a thread, calling a few methods, etc) needed to reach a
 *       timeout point. Similarly, a SMALL is always discriminable as larger than SHORT and smaller

                        Item l = left.hasNext() ? left.next() : null;
                        Item r = right.hasNext() ? right.next() : null;

                        // if this is shorter, then invert the compare and mul with -1
                        int result = l == null ? (r == null ? 0 : -1 * r.compareTo(l)) : l.compareTo(r);

                        if (result != 0) {

   * compares, using {@link #compare(int, int)}), the first pair of values that follow any common
   * prefix, or when one array is a prefix of the other, treats the shorter array as the lesser. For
   * example, {@code [] < [1] < [1, 2] < [2]}.
   *
   * <p>The returned comparator is inconsistent with {@link Object#equals(Object)} (since arrays