As soon as Alma received the angel’s message, he returned, not just promptly but “speedily.” The comment that he entered the city “by another way” does not explain whether this entrance was different from his original entry or different from his exit point. The south way would be more in line with Melek than the hypothesized position of Aaron. Perhaps Alma entered through the same way of his first visit, which was different from his way of departure.
Variant: In the printer’s manuscript and the 1830 edition, the second sentence begins: “It came to pass that he.… ”