During the first winter, in the hope of finding documents, Mikkelsen resolved to undertake a journey to Danmark Sound by crossing the glacial land, a novel and hazardous undertaking. He made direct for the head of the fjord, and for part of the way was accompanied by Lieut. Laub with another dog sledge. Mikkelsen had only one companion, the engineer Iver Iversen, a good cook, an expert dog driver, and a man of many accomplishments. The two sledges carried respectively 600 and 650 lb. of provisions and were drawn one by nine and the other by eleven dogs. [Illustration: Greenland] On April 1st Mikkelsen and Laub found that they were by observation no less than 15 miles south of their dead reckoning, much to their surprise and dismay--only another proof of the uselessness of dead reckoning unless checked by astronomical observations. It was intended that Laub should travel round the west side of the large nunatak called Dronning Luisa’s Land and then return round the south end. At the north end of the land there was a little moss here and there, but no sign of any living thing. Bad weather, excessively difficult marching, and shortage of provisions obliged Laub and his two companions to return by the way they came, and on reaching the winter quarters they found that the _Alabama_ had filled and sunk, and their shipmates were in a tent. Eventually, however, they were able to build a house with some of the ship’s timbers. Meanwhile Captain Mikkelsen and his companion Iversen continued their march, making a very remarkable and difficult journey across the inland ice direct to the head of the Danmark Fjord which, it will be remembered, had been discovered by Erichsen. On May 18th they reached the head of the fjord. Several remains of Erichsen’s party were found, then a record, and ultimately a second record. Erichsen recorded this discovery of the long fjord, at the head of which was Peary’s furthest point, with two fjords branching from it. He had also found that Peary’s strait across Greenland had no existence. This information was important, as Mikkelsen had intended to return by the imaginary channel and the west coast of Greenland, in which case he and his companion would probably have perished. As it was, the return by the coast with the dogs worn out, deep soft snow, and much surface water, was a sufficiently dangerous undertaking. Mikkelsen was for some time unable to walk, and the explorers went through great hardships.