Long ago Betsy and Winfree gave the likely meaning of 'hal,' which could be the same word as 'hale,' an old Germanic word meaning to haul or pull, halen,, "They setten mast, and halen saile."

The word has been superceded by 'haul.' The spelling 'hall' persisted until at least 1700. See Dampier, Smith, and other nautical writings, where it is spelled 'hall.'
OED