accessing own info files

[Michael Below]

Hi,

I want to use some info files I installed locally in ~/elisp/info

So far, I have set
INFOPATH=/usr/info/:/usr/share/info/:/usr/share/info/emacs-21/
        :/home/mbelow/elisp/info/

As far as I understand the Info documentation, the info mode merges
info files from all those directories into the top menu. But it
doesn't happen... As a next step, I tried making a "dir" file of my
own in /home/mbelow/elisp/info , because I thought maybe those dir
files are being merged. This changed the behaviour of info, but not as
intended: I keep getting 

Search Failed: "
^_"

whenever I call info.

Also I have tried to run "info -f elisp/info/dir", that tells me:
info: Cannot find node `Top'.

Below is my dir file, any ideas?

Ciao
  Michael

snip----

^_
File: dir       Node: Top

* Menu: Meine persönlichen Info-Dateien

Emacs-Erweiterungen für LaTeX
* auctex-mode:: Der major mode für LaTeX-Dateien
* bibtex-mode:: Der major mode für bibtex-Dateien
* preview-latex:: Voransicht von LaTeX-Elementen im Emacs-Buffer

Oort Gnus
* gnus:: Die Gnus-Doku an sich
* emacs-mime:: MIME-Support für Gnus
* message:: Der Modus zum Schreiben von Mail und News
* pgg:: Keine Ahnung
* sieve:: Ein Spamfilter


snip----
-- 
Der hohe Anteil an Dienstreisen fällt auf.
                        Niklas Luhmann, Die Weltgesellschaft, ARSP 1971, 8